You Found Me
by x0clairedelunex0
Summary: Adriana is new in Port Charles, and it's not long before her life is turned inside-out. Friendly strangers become long-lost relatives. She's living with a murderer. It's not about finding her way. It's about finding herself.
1. Chapter 1

**You Found Me**

_Chapter One_

Adriana Brown stood looking out over the Elm Street Pier. Port Charles wasn't that bad of a town. It was actually quite nice, especially in the winter. She hadn't actually seen any snow fall while she was here, but a nice layer of it blanketed the town right now. She had never been to Port Charles before, and yet, she didn't want to leave.

This was actually her first time in America. She had grown up in London, a place that she loved very much. Her father was a salesman for a computer software company called Chrome Virus Protection. He traveled all over the world, selling the product. Adriana and her mother got to travel with him, and Adriana loved it. She had been to so many places: France, Greece, Spain, Russia—all over Europe, and even once to Australia. But she had never been to America before, and she found it quite fascinating.

They were in Port Charles to sell the software to the police department, who were in need of a stronger virus protection after many of their electronically-stored criminal profiles had been changed or gone missing. According to Adriana's father, Port Charles was one of the most heavily crime-ridden cities in New York; it was known mostly for its never-ending supply of mobsters. Adriana found this surprising; in her entire week here, she hadn't heard of one single crime being committed. But, a week wasn't a sufficient amount of time to determine anything like that.

Right now, she liked Port Charles. The people were friendly, for the most part. She and her family were staying at the Metro-Court Hotel. The staff was nice and accommodating. Even the owners made sure that the Brown's stay was as comfortable as it could possibly be.

Adriana had just eaten lunch with her parents at a place called Kelly's Diner, which had a really nice owner. Mike, was his name. And he made an amazing bowl of chili.

Adriana's parents were back at the hotel, resting before they went out to dinner tonight. Then, it was back to England in the morning. Adriana didn't want to waste time at the hotel, when she could be exploring a place that she had never been to before, and might never be in again. She had always been curious, even as a child. At sixteen, she might be starting to outgrow it, but it was in her nature. She liked seeing new things.

One new thing that she noticed was an immense building across the water. It was far, but very beautiful. It looked like a castle. She didn't know what a castle was doing near a town like Port Charles, but she wouldn't let that bother her. If anything, it was just another question that she'd try to have answered.

"Enjoying the view?" asked a voice, and Adriana jumped. She had been standing here in the silence for so long, she hadn't expected anyone to show up. She turned around to see a woman in her early thirties standing behind her. She had long, dark brown (almost black) hair, and was wearing black jeans, a black leather jacket, and red high heels.

"Sorry," said the woman. She made her way down the steps, carrying a pastry box in her hands. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Adriana assured. "I've just been standing here in the quiet for a long time. I wasn't expecting anyone to come by."

The woman smiled. "Yeah, I get lost in thought out here, too. Where're you from, England?"

"London, actually," she said.

"I've never been to London," mused the woman as she also looked out over the water. "Always wanted to go, but never got the chance."

"It's a beautiful place," said Adriana. "I can't imagine anyone not liking it."

"So, what're you doing here in Port Charles?" asked the woman. "It's not exactly the world's finest vacation spot."

Adriana laughed. "My dad's here on business."

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I'm home-schooled," explained Adriana. "I travel with my parents all over the world."

"That's cool!" said the woman. "I wish my childhood had been like that." Adriana noticed as a faraway look appeared in the woman's eye, but she shook it off quickly. She shifted the weight of the pastry to box to her left arm, and held out her right hand. "I'm Claudia, by the way. Claudia Corinthos."

"Adriana Brown," she said, sticking out her right hand and shaking Claudia's. Her shake was strong and powerful, and, for some reason, Adriana couldn't help but like it.

Adriana noticed as Claudia's eyes seemed to perk up, like she had recognized Adriana's name, but maybe she was just seeing things.

"So, enjoying Port Charles so far?" asked Claudia.

"Yeah, I think so," said Adriana. "People here are pretty nice."

"Where're you staying?"

"The Metro-Court."

"Ah, the Metro-Court. Nice hotel. The owners don't like me much, but other than that I don't mind going there."

Adriana decided not to ask. She barely knew this person. "So, have you lived in Port Charles your whole life?" she asked, not really knowing why.

"Almost," answered Claudia. "I lived in Italy for awhile."

Adriana was jealous. "I've never been to Italy," she said. "I've always wanted to go. My dad's gone there a couple times, but I've never been allowed to go."

"Why not?"

"I'm not quite sure," said Adriana. This was true. Her father had never explained to her why she hadn't been allowed to go to Italy those couple of times that he went. Adriana had never pressed it; it probably wasn't anything important. "Maybe he's afraid of the mafia or something," she laughed.

Claudia laughed along with her, but it was only half-hearted. "I wouldn't joke about that," she said.

Once again, Adriana decided not to press it. She looked back out over the water to the castle that she had seen before. Maybe Claudia could answer one of the many questions that she had. "What's that castle over there?" she asked, pointing.

Claudia looked out over the water. "Oh, that's Wyndemere, on Spoon Island. A Greek prince lives there."

Adriana couldn't believe it. A prince, in Port Charles. "Seriously?"

"That's what I said when I found out," said Claudia. "His name's Nikolas Cassadine. Nice guy, super cute."

Adriana laughed. She was about to respond when her cell phone rang. "Sorry," she said to Claudia, looking at the caller I.D. "It's my mum."

"Don't worry about it," said Claudia. Adriana flipped open her phone. "Hello?"

"Adriana, where are you?" asked Mrs. Brown. "You've been gone for hours. Come back to the hotel. It's starting to get dark."

"Alright, I'll be there soon," said Adriana, and hung up. She turned back to Claudia. "Gotta go. Mum's orders."

"Oh, okay," said Claudia, and, for some reason, she seemed kind of sad. Adriana didn't understand why; what kind of adult would want to spend their time talking to a sixteen-year-old? "I guess I'll see you around?"

Adriana shook her head. "Not likely. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Well, then, it was nice to meet you," said Claudia. Adriana smiled, waved, and headed back to the hotel.

*

The entire ride home, Claudia couldn't get her mind off of Adriana. She didn't understand why. She was a stranger. They had never met before. Claudia was sure that there were lots of people with the name Adriana Brown who lived in England. It wasn't an uncommon name. But if she knew her middle name, then she'd know for sure…

Who was she kidding? This was ridiculous. There was absolutely no chance that their paths would ever cross. It had to be another Adriana Brown. It just had to be. Although—

No, there was no although. It didn't matter that they had the same dark brown hair and eyes. It didn't matter that her name was Adriana Brown. There was no chance that this would be happening. None.

But she had said that her father wouldn't let her go to Italy. If, for the sake of argument, she was the same Adriana Brown, it would make sense. But she wasn't, so it didn't matter.

Claudia was so distracted by her thoughts, she was barely paying attention to the road. She made it home in one piece, but she still couldn't shake the image of Adriana from her mind. Her laugh, her smile—no. This was stupid. There was no point dwelling on her. She was leaving tomorrow. They'd probably never see each other again. None of it mattered.

But even as she told herself not to worry about it, there was still that glimmer of worry in the back of her head. If she was the same Adriana Brown, what was she supposed to do?


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

"We'll be home by ten, love," said Mrs. Brown, kissing her daughter on the forehead. Adriana sat on the couch of their suite, remote in one hand and bag of chips in the other. She was tired and ready for a night of channel-flipping and pigging out.

"C'mon, Tom, we have reservations!" Mrs. Brown called to the bedroom. Mr. Brown came running out, his tie only half-done, and his shoes unlaced.

"You are the biggest procrastinator in the world," laughed Mrs. Brown. Adriana laughed along with her. "I told you we had to leave by seven. It's ten after, and you're still not ready."

"I'm sorry, dear," said Mr. Brown, fumbling with his tie. "I thought I'd have enough time. Don't worry, we'll get there."

"I just don't want to hit traffic," said Mrs. Brown. "And the cab's probably been waiting awhile."

"Well, I'm ready now," said Mr. Brown. He turned to his daughter with a "ta-da" gesture. "How do I look?"

Adriana laughed. "Great, Dad." She looked down at his feet. "But, your shoes are still untied."

"I'll tie them in the cab," said Mr. Brown. He quickly kissed Adriana on the cheek, and was about to head out the door with his impatient wife, when a phone rang.

The family looked around for the source of the noise. It was coming from a phone on the coffee table.

"Must be work," said Mr. Brown, running towards it.

"Can't it wait?" asked Mrs. Brown, folding her arms.

"Just give me a moment," said Mr. Brown. He flipped it open and said, "Hello?...Yes, this is he…Okay…Really?...Okay…Alright. Bye." He hung up and looked at Mrs. Brown, whose face fell immediately.

"Don't tell me you have to go to work now!" she said. "You promised you wouldn't work tonight."

Mr. Brown smiled. "Don't worry, Cassie. It can wait until the morning."

"What happened?" asked Adriana, curious as always.

"Apparently there's a problem with the system we sold the PCPD," Mr. Brown explained to her. "It's a brand new program, and, what do you know, someone's already hacked it. It hasn't even been in a week."

"But I thought that was the point of the software," said Adriana, confused. "I thought it was supposed to block hacking."

"It was," said Mr. Brown, concerned. "Whoever hacked into the system is damn good with a computer."

"So, what does this mean?" asked Mrs. Brown. Adriana knew that as long as their dinner plans weren't cancelled, she wouldn't care what it meant.

"I have to go in tomorrow morning," said Mr. Brown. "We have to figure this thing out. We'll have to push our flight back a day or two."

"Well, we've already been here a week," sighed Mrs. Brown. "What's a couple more days, right?"

Adriana smiled. She wanted to stay in Port Charles for a couple more days. She couldn't explain it, but she felt some sort of connection to the place, even though this was her first time in town. She didn't know what it was, but with her curiosity, she was bound to find out.

*

"You want me to do what?" Jason scratched his head. He knew Sonny could be erratic, but this was crossing the line.

"You heard me," said Sonny. He and his right-hand man were standing in his dark and dismal living room. He stood behind his desk, while Jason stood on the other side, totally confused. "We have to kill him. It's the only way."

"But why, Sonny?" asked Jason. He wasn't sure he liked being under Sonny's power again. Sometimes Sonny's decisions were too hard for him to carry out. "We shouldn't have to kill him. Spinelli hacked the system once, he'll hack it again."

"You don't understand, Jason," said Sonny. Why was Jason being so frustrating? He usually took orders and that was the end of it. Why did he have to let his "morals" get in the way, especially now? "This is serious. I could really go to prison this time."

"I understand that, Sonny," Jason sighed, exasperated. "But Thomas Brown is an innocent man. He didn't do anything wrong. He's just doing his job."

"Yeah, and I'm doing mine," snapped Sonny. "I did not work this hard for this long just so I could end up in prison!"

"Okay, just tell me what Diane said again," said Jason, putting his head in his hands.

"Diane told me that they have solid evidence that I was the one that blew up the Coluzzo shipment last week. She said it was enough evidence to sway a jury and put me away for life. She said that whatever defense she came up with wouldn't work. This program that Brown is installing keeps my file in the PCPD. I know Spinelli hacked it, but he'll just install it again. Something needs to be done."

Jason focused his blue eyes right on Sonny's brown ones. "Killing innocent people isn't going to solve anything. Okay, so we kill one salesman. Chrome is an international company. Another one will come and install the program. Are you telling me that you're going to kill every member of that company, just to keep yourself out of prison?"

"If I have to!" shouted Sonny. Jason didn't flinch. He wasn't going down that easy.

"But Spinelli was able to hack into the system and disable it. He'll do it again."

"Spinelli's been caught hacking before! If he has to keep doing it, someone will eventually catch him. Incase you haven't noticed, he's not the most subtle person in the world!" Jason didn't say anything. He knew Sonny didn't like Spinelli. "When they catch him, everything will lead right back to us."

"And killing this Brown guy won't lead back to us?" interrogated Jason. "If anything, this could be what puts you in jail."

"Jason, you are the best in the business!" said Sonny. "You've killed dozens of people, and you haven't been convicted."

"There's a first time for everything, Sonny! What if I am convicted? Killing Brown will only make everything worse! It's a bad idea. I'm not gonna do it!"

"If you won't do it, I will!" shouted Sonny. "I am not going to prison!"

"Do you even have a plan, Sonny?" asked Jason. "This isn't something you can go into half-cocked."

Sonny laughed, a chuckle full of mirth and insanity. "Of course I have a plan, Jason. We've been tailing Brown for the entire time that he's been here. He made reservations at Che Loir tonight. You know that alley behind Che Loir, the one that leads to Fifth Street? That's where we'll do it."

"What 'we,' Sonny?" asked Jason. "I told you, I'm not doin' it!"

"What the hell is your problem?" shouted Sonny.

Jason stood in his normal stoic silence for a minute, until he said, "Sonny, don't you ever think? This Brown guy—he's got a wife. He's got a kid, Sonny. You really want that kid growing up without a father?"

Sonny looked down at his hands, not able to meet his enforcer's eye. "I don't care if he has fifteen kids. I want him dead." He looked up, his face one hundred percent serious. "I'll say it again: if you won't do it, I will."

Jason stared at Sonny intently, saying, "Fine. But don't expect an alibi from me." And with that, he left Sonny and his plan in peace.

*

_She was running. It was just a long, never-ending passageway. There were no doors or windows. Just stone walls on either side, and dirt underneath her pounding feet. Someone was chasing her. She wasn't quite sure who, but she knew that she couldn't let them catch up to her. She just had to keep running, keep running, keep running—_

Adriana awoke with a start. The blanket that she had curled up with was on the floor, and she had broken out in sweat, as if she really had been running that whole time. A _Saturday Night Live _rerun was blaring at her from the television. She looked at the clock. It was midnight.

Wait, midnight. Her parents should be back by now. She walked into their room. The bed was neatly made, and there was no sign that they had been back since they went to dinner.

Adriana made her way back to the living room of the suite, grabbed her cell phone, and flipped it open. No voicemails. No text messages. Where were they?

Calm down, she told herself. Maybe they stayed out later than they expected. They could have gone dancing. Or out for a boat ride. But they would have called. They always called…

Adriana dialed in her father's cell phone number. Voice mail. Then her mother's. Same thing.

Any tiredness that was still with her she shook off. Now she was worried. She grabbed her sweatshirt and put it on over her t-shirt, then pulled on a pair of chestnut Uggs, tucking her jeans into them. She grabbed her room key and made her way down to the lobby.

*

"What do you mean, they haven't called? They were supposed to be back by ten." Adriana felt bad. She shouldn't be yelling at this nice man. But still, she was worried.

"I'm sorry, Miss Brown," said Marty. "Your parents haven't left a message. I'll be happy to call you if they do." Adriana didn't know what to do. They could be anywhere, and she didn't know the town well enough to go on a one-person manhunt for them. She couldn't call the police; they wouldn't be reported missing until it had been twenty-four hours, and she couldn't wait that long. She needed to find them now.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" asked Marty, breaking her out of her reverie. She was about to say no, but then had an idea. She had to start somewhere.

"Can you give me directions to Che Loir, please?"

*

Well, this was it. She had walked five blocks to get to the fancy French restaurant, only to hit a dead end. It had closed an hour ago.

Adriana felt her blood pressure rise in worry. Where were they? Why hadn't they come home? Were they hurt? Did something to happen to them?

She couldn't go back to the hotel, not yet. She would find them, she knew she would. It just took a little digging, something she was an expert at.

Marty had told her that there were some bars and dance clubs around Che Loir, so she decided to check those. She was not giving up. She had to find them.

She walked by Che Loir, and then by a narrow alley behind it, where a pungent smell filled her nose instantly. She took a glance into the alley, to find the source.

The smell was blood.

Her parent's blood.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

Adriana's scream was loud enough to wake the dead, if only screams had such power. She ran as fast as she could into the alley, her Uggs thumping on the concrete, until she came upon her parent's bodies, which lay in grotesque poses.

"Mum! Mum!" she cried, kneeling down next to her mother. Her arms and legs were spread every which way, and her mouth was hanging slightly agape, as if she wanted to say something. Her beautiful blue dress, which so brought out the eyes that were now closed, was now sporting a large red spot right over her heart. Blood had spilled out around her, soaking the rest of her dress and some of her blonde hair. Adriana grabbed her mother's wrist, feeling for a pulse. Her arm was warm, but there was no blood flowing through it.

"No!" Adriana screamed, hot tears pouring out of her eyes. "No! Mum! Wake up! Wake up! Please, Mum, wake up!" It was no use. Her mother would never hear her again.

Adriana spun around to look at her dad, praying that there was still some hope for him. But one look told her that her prayers would not be answered. His once white shirt was also stained from deep red blood. His suit jacket was torn at one of the shoulders. His eyes were closed, as was his mouth. If it weren't for the blood, Adriana would have thought that he was sleeping.

"No!" she yelled again, throwing herself on top of her father. With her ear on his chest, she listened for a heart beat, but none came. "No, Dad, please don't leave me! Don't go, Daddy! Please! Come back, Dad, come back!" Tears flooded out of her dark brown eyes as she clutched her father.

Why? Why would someone do this? They were innocent people. They had never done anyone any wrong. They didn't even live here. Who would possibly want to kill them? Nobody in the entire world had any reason to want to hurt them. It wasn't fair. They didn't deserve to die, they didn't deserve to die—

"Oh, my God," came a voice from the entrance of the alley. Adriana recognized the voice and snapped her head up to see Claudia running towards her.

"They're dead!" Adriana screamed. "Someone killed them! They're dead!" Claudia kneeled down next to Adriana, her red high heels matching the blood that they both sat in. She put her arms around the girl, who seemed so much younger than she was as she cried over her parent's corpses.

"Shh," she soothed. "Shh…it's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright—"

"No—it's—not," Adriana choked out, hyperventilating. She couldn't breath. The smell of blood was so strong, and now she was soaked in it. Her jeans were done for; she'd never get the blood out. She wasn't even going to try to with the Uggs. "They're—dead. Someone—killed them. But—why? Why—would—someone—do this?"

Claudia didn't know what to say. What did you say to a girl who was looking at her parents, their bodies formed in the shape of death, their clothes covered in their blood? Besides, she didn't have a maternal bone in her body, even where Adriana was concerned. She just held the girl close, stroking her smooth, brown hair, trying to calm her down.

"These—are—my parents," Adriana explained in gasps. Claudia didn't say anything; she knew who they were. "They didn't—deserve—this. They were—good people." She finally took her eyes off of the bodies and looked into Claudia's. "Why? Why—did—someone—kill them?"

Claudia tried to hold her own tears back. She had to be strong. For Adriana. "I don't know," she admitted, and Adriana's tears started to brim in her eyes again. It wasn't the answer she was looking for; she wanted closure. Claudia tried to calm the waters. "I'm gonna call 911, 'kay? They'll come and figure this out." She started to stand up, but Adriana grabbed her hand.

"No!" she insisted. "Please stay here. Please?" She liked having Claudia's arms around her. It didn't matter that she was a complete and total stranger; she'd take whatever comfort she could get.

Claudia squeezed Adriana's hand. "I have to call the police. It'll only take me a second." Adriana let go of her hand, and Claudia stepped out of the pool of blood to make the call. Adriana grabbed her mother's hand and whispered, "It's gonna be okay. We'll find out who did this to you."

*

"I told you everything I know!" Adriana screamed. She and Claudia stood at the entrance of the alley, still soaked in blood. They were talking to the police commissioner and a detective, both of whom were frustrating Adriana to no end.

"Yes, we understand that," said the police commissioner, holding a pen and a notepad, writing down everything that Adriana had said. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lot. "But this has been a traumatic experience for you. Sometimes, with all the emotions running, you might forget something."

"I didn't forget anything!" Adriana shouted, and Claudia squeezed her hand. "These are my parents we're talking about! Why would I forget anything? I want you to find out who killed them!" She peered around the two police officers to see the action in the alley. She couldn't see her parent's corpses; they were surrounded by forensic detectives, the coroner, crime photographers, and other police personnel. Both sides of the alley had been blocked off with saw horses, and large crowds had gathered at either end. Some were reporters, others were just citizens who had heard the commotion. Adriana wished they would all go away. Didn't they have any respect for the dead?

"Look, we're trying to work with you here," said the detective. "Now, did your parents have any enemies that you know of?"

"Enemies?" asked Adriana, confused.

"Someone who would have a motive to kill them," explained the detective.

Adriana shook her head. "We're not even from here! We don't know anyone here! How could they have enemies?"

"Could be a xenophobe," the police commissioner muttered to his detective.

"A what?" asked Adriana.

"Someone who's afraid of foreigners," explained the detective.

"Afraid enough to kill them?" asked Adriana. America was a crazy country, with crazy law enforcement officials.

"It's a possibility," said the detective. "And in murder cases, we can never rule anything out." Just as he said this, another detective came upon the group.

"Find anything out, Harper?" asked the police commissioner.

"Honestly," said Harper, glancing at Adriana nervously, "not much, Mac. We can rule out a mugging, though. They still had all their valuables: jewelry, money, and such." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't think this was random."

Adriana felt her blood boil in anger and confusion. "What are you talking about? This has to be random! No one would want to kill them!"

"Shh, calm down," Claudia said soothingly. "They're just trying to do their job." Adriana didn't want to hear it. They needed to do their job better.

"What are you even doing here, Mrs. Corinthos?" asked Mac accusingly.

"I was walking to my car!" said Claudia defensively. "My brother lives in the apartments right across the street from Che Loir. I was visiting him. We turned on the T.V. and fell asleep, and I didn't wake up 'til a little after midnight. I was heading towards the parking lot. I passed the alley and saw Adriana with her parents. Happy?"

Mac didn't look convinced. "Can your brother confirm that?"

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Of course he can confirm it. Here." She pulled out her cell phone. "Wanna call him? He's probably asleep, so he'll be pissed off, but you're welcome to give him a ring."

"That's not necessary," interjected Adriana. "Claudia didn't have anything to do with this."

"How can you be so sure?" asked the first detective. "You don't even know her."

"Are you seriously accusing me of this?" asked Claudia, gesturing to the crime scene.

"Well, based on your family's history—"

"Screw my family's history! I didn't do this!"

"Okay, calm down," said Harper, jumping into the argument before claws started coming out. He turned to the first detective. "Lucky, don't start jumping to conclusions. We have zero evidence. It's not time to start picking out a suspect."

Adriana was about to agree with him when a commotion came from the center of the alley. Two gurneys were outside the circle of investigators, and on each of them was a black body bag.

"No!" she screamed, realizing what was happening. "No!" She was about to make a run for the circle, but Claudia grabbed her elbow.

"Let me go!" she yelled. "Let me go!"

"We have to take your parents' bodies to the coroner's," explained Mac calmly, having endured things like this too many times before. "We need to have an autopsy."

Adriana felt her stomach sink to the ground. Not an autopsy. They couldn't do that. It wasn't fair. "No!" she screamed again, tears starting to pour down her face. "They're my parents! You can't do this!"

"We have to," said Mac, raising his voice so that Adriana heard him over her sobbing. "Don't you want us to figure out who did this?"

"There has to be another way!" She tried getting out of Claudia's grasp, but it was no use; Claudia held her tight.

"I'm sorry," said Mac, and he sounded like he really meant it. Adriana stopped trying to fight Claudia, and sank to the ground, hugging her knees up to her chest and burying her face in her legs. She didn't want to watch her parents being hauled away on those gurneys. The sounds were enough. She could hear the grunt of a couple police officials lifting the bodies, and then the creaks as they laid them as gently as possible on the gurneys. She heard the zippers of the body bags, and then the sound of the wheels on the ground as the gurneys made their way to the entrance of the alley, to the coroner's van. There were more grunts as the gurneys were folded and placed in the van, which soon drove away, Adriana's parents riding in the back.

Adriana didn't just cry; she howled. She didn't care who heard her. She would never see her parents again. Some stranger was about to cut them up to tiny bits. She couldn't wrap her head around it; her parents, dead? It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

She sobbed and sobbed, until she felt a strong hand grab her elbow to help her up. As much as she just wanted to sit on the ground and cry, she got up anyway, not having any strength left in her to fight back.

The hand belonged to the police commissioner, whose eyes were somber as he spoke to her. "We need to take you down to the station, okay? It'll be awhile; with you being from a foreign country, a lot of things are going to get complicated. We'll get you an attorney."

"What about Diane Miller?" suggested Claudia.

"Who?" asked Adriana, wiping her eyes.

"She's a great lawyer," said Claudia. "She'll help you out. I'll call her as soon as we get down to the station."

The detective named Lucky glared at her. "What do you mean 'we?' What makes you think you're going?"

"She needs someone down there with her," insisted Claudia. "She can't go through this alone." Adriana wished people would stop fighting her battles for her. She might have been a basket case, but she could still speak for herself.

"You have no relation to her," Lucky was saying. "In fact, you two barely know each other. When did you meet, today?"

"Lucky," calmed Mac, "knock it off. It's not your call to make." He turned to Claudia. "But, he's right. You should go home. We can take care of this."

"But—"

"Please," insisted Mac. "Just do as we ask. Call Diane when you get the chance."

Claudia let out a huge breath, her hair blowing with it. She wasn't going to fight with the police. It wouldn't be worth it. "Fine," she obliged reluctantly.

"Alright," said Mac. "Now that that's settled, let me talk with Lucky and Harper, and then we'll be on our way." He pulled his two detectives over to the side to talk to them privately, leaving Adriana and Claudia together.

"This reeks everywhere of Corinthos," Lucky accused in a whisper, once they were out of earshot.

"As much as I'd like to agree with you," said Mac, "we can't just go around arresting people. We need a warrant from the judge. We'll send someone to his house some time in the late morning, see if he has an alibi. Then we'll go from there."

"I'll go," volunteered Lucky eagerly. "If Sonny's gonna be brought down, I wanna be the one to do it."

Mac shook his head. "No, Lucky." Lucky was about to object, but Mac held up his hand. "You and Harper stay on the biotoxin case; we still have to figure that out. I'll assign someone else onto this one. Got it?" Harper nodded in an understanding way; Lucky just crossed his arms and fumed.

Over on the other side of the alley, Claudia put her arm around Adriana. "It's going to be okay," she said. "They'll figure this out."

Adriana sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I know. I just wish you could come down to the station with me." She was surprised at the words that came out of her mouth. She didn't even know Claudia; why would she want her to hold her hand through this?

Claudia smiled. "You'll be okay. Mac's a good cop. So is Harper. Lucky and I don't really get along, but he's pretty decent, too."

"Thanks for everything," said Adriana. "You don't even know me, but you're still helping me."

Claudia was about to respond, when her phone rang.

"I'm so sorry," she said, taking it out and looking at the screen.

"Don't worry about it," said Adriana. "You should answer it."

"Nah," said Claudia, putting the still ringing phone back in her pocket. "It's just my husband. It's probably not important."

*

"Damn it!" yelled Sonny, throwing his phone at a vase of red roses. The vase cracked, water spilling everywhere and the roses falling to the floor. Max heard the crash, and he came running.

"Boss, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the broken vase.

"Where the hell is Claudia?" Sonny asked him menacingly.

Max shrugged. "Don't know, boss. She went to her brother's tonight, but she hasn't come back."

"Where is she?" Sonny asked in a deadly whisper. "It's almost two in the morning. She should be back by now!"

"Maybe if you called her—"

"I just tried!" Sonny shouted. "She didn't answer!" He started pacing across his living room floor, his stomach twisting in nervous knots. "I need her here, Max. She's my alibi. Without her, I could go to prison!" He grabbed a photo off of one of the side tables and threw it at the ground.

"I'm sure she'll be home soon, Mr. C," assured Max, wanting to keep his employer calm.

"Yeah, she better be!" yelled Sonny. He refused to go to prison. If she wasn't back in two hours, he was running. He'd go to Puerto Rico, hide there until the whole thing blew over. He wasn't going to jail for the explosion of the Coluzzo shipment.

And he most certainly wasn't going to jail for murdering the Browns.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

"Where the hell were you last night?" Claudia stopped in her tracks, almost down the stairs to the living room. It was morning, the bright sun shining in through the window. She hadn't slept well, tossing and turning all night, thinking about the Browns. She had snuck in at around two-thirty, disposed of her clothes, which reeked of blood, and took a long, hot shower. She didn't crawl into bed with Sonny until after three, assuming he was asleep. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Sonny sat in his armchair, a cup of coffee in his hand, peering suspiciously at his wife, and preparing for the favor he was about to ask her.

"Good morning to you, too," she said sarcastically, avoiding his question.

"Where were you last night?" said Sonny asked again, staring into his coffee mug. "You didn't get in 'til late. What, out partyin' or somethin'?"

Claudia held her breath. Now it was time to lie. Well, it wouldn't really be a lie; she just wouldn't be telling the whole truth. "I was at Johnny's."

"'Til two in the morning?" asked Sonny skeptically. "I mean, I know you guys are close, but really?"

"We fell asleep," answered Claudia. "We turned on the T.V. and fell asleep. We had completely lost track of time. I woke up, then came home."

Now Sonny was starting to buy it. This was good. She didn't need to tell him everything that had happened last night. Even dropping Adriana's name would open a can of worms that Claudia wasn't quite ready to deal with.

Sonny shook his head. He needed to stay focused. It didn't matter where Claudia had been, really; she was here now, and that was all that mattered. "Look, I'm not gonna pry into your personal life. You don't have to tell me everything you do. I mean, if you're sleepin' with my brother again, that's another story—"

"Oh, come on, Sonny!" barked Claudia angrily. "I thought we were over that. I'm not sleeping with Ric!"

"Okay, okay," said Sonny holding up his hands and walking over to his wife, who had finally made her way down the stairs and was going to get her own cup of coffee. "I'm sorry. Water under the bridge. We have more important things to worry about." He started rubbing his chin, trying to figure out how to tell Claudia what he needed from her. He knew he shouldn't be that nervous; Claudia had made it clear that she would remain loyal to him, no matter what. This wouldn't change anything. "I killed someone last night." There was no need to tell her that he had killed two people. She'd help him even if he had massacred the whole town.

Claudia opened her mouth in shock. Someone else had been killed last night? What, was it a full moon or something? "Oh, my God, Sonny. You killed someone?"

"Don't act so surprised," said Sonny, smiling a little. "You know I've killed people before."

"Yeah, but—" But what? She couldn't tell Sonny about the Browns. Not now, anyway. "I guess—I guess just wasn't expecting it." She started pouring her coffee, still looking at her husband. "Who?"

Sonny waved his hand in the air, as if to swat a fly. "It doesn't matter," he said. "All that matters is that I need an alibi if the police come looking for me. Can you do that?"

Claudia considered. What if the officer that came was Harper, or Lucky? They had seen her at the crime scene. They'd know that she hadn't been with Sonny last night. But, she had to stand by her husband. She'd make it up as she went along if she had to. "Of course, Sonny. Why wouldn't I?"

Sonny smiled. "I knew you would," he said.

*

Detective Lenny Harrison stood at the front door of Sonny Corinthos's house. It was a beautiful morning; chilly, but sunny, the rays of light melting what was left of the blizzard. He saw that as a good sign; he was on his first real case, and he had to do everything right.

Lenny had been surprised when Commissioner Scorpio had asked him to go to Sonny's house for an alibi. He had just made detective, and hadn't expected to be put on a case this big for awhile. He felt confident in Commissioner Scorpio's trust, and wouldn't let him down.

He took his hand and knocked three times on the front door. It didn't even take a second for a large man in a fine suit to answer.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes," said Lenny, pulling his badge out of his pocket. But before he could present it, it fell to the ground in his clumsy and excited haste. He picked it up quickly, blushing, and showed it to the man. "Detective Leonard Harrison, Homicide," he stated eagerly, like any new detective. "I'm here to see Mr. Michael Corinthos, Jr."

The man at the door hesitated for a moment, and then plastered a large, fake grin on his face. "Right this way," he said. He led Lenny into the dark entrance hall, then knocked on a big wooden door right off to the side.

"Come in," called a voice. The man opened the door and peeked in, saying, "Uh, boss, there's a Detective Harrison here to see you."

Silence came from the room, and then Lenny heard. "Send him in, Max." Max stepped aside to let Lenny into the living room, where Lenny saw another man in a suit sitting on a couch, reading a paper, and a beautiful, dark-haired woman pouring herself a cup of coffee. Lenny looked at her longer than he should have, but she was so busy with her coffee that she didn't notice. Max left the room, closing the door behind him.

"How can I help you?" Sonny asked calmly. He couldn't betray himself for a second. But as he eyed the detective, he knew it wouldn't be a problem. This kid was a rookie; he probably couldn't spot a lie if it came up and bit him on the ass.

Lenny snapped his head at Sonny when he heard him spoke, shaking the woman from his mind. He told himself to focus. "Mr. Corinthos, I'm Detective Leonard Harrison, from the Homicide Division of the Port Charles Police Department." Lenny enjoyed saying these words; it made him feel important and superior. "I'm here in regards to a crime that was committed last night."

"What about it?" asked Sonny, taking a sip of coffee from a black mug in his right hand, completely nonchalant.

"Could you verify your whereabouts last night, between the times of eleven-thirty and midnight?"

Sonny stood up. "Yes, I can. I was here."

Lenny thought he could dance with excitement. He almost had him. "Is there anyone that can confirm that?"

"I can," answered the dark-haired woman, walking over to Lenny and sticking out the hand that wasn't holding a cup of coffee. "I'm Claudia Corinthos, Sonny's wife." Lenny felt himself tense as he looked at the hand, not sure what to do. Eventually, his common sense caught up with him, and he shook. The hand was large, yet delicate, and it took him a little too long to let go.

"I-it's very nice t-to meet you," he stuttered once he did. He shook his head, trying to get back on topic. "Y-you said you were here last night, with Mr. Corinthos?"

"Yes, I was. We were watching a movie. What was it called again?" She turned to Sonny.

"_Braveheart_," he answered.

"Right, _Braveheart_," Claudia said, turning back to the detective. "Great movie. Have you ever seen it?"

Lenny shook his head, still distracted. She was so beautiful. He couldn't take his eyes off of hers, the dark brown irises almost blending with the black pupils. And her hair, so thick and dark—

"Hello, you there?" asked Claudia.

Lenny snapped out of it when he heard her voice, deep, but friendly. "Oh, yes, I'm so sorry. It's early." He felt his cheeks turn bright red with embarrassment. Claudia smiled.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Is there anything else we can help you with?"

Lenny smiled. "No, that's all, thanks. Sorry to bother you." And with that, he left the house, Claudia's face still imprinted in his mind, replacing all legal procedures that he should have been following.

*

"Adriana," said a voice that felt like it came from far away. "We're ready."

Adriana snapped out of her reverie. She had been staring at a television for an entire morning, but not taking a word or picture in. Too many other things were running through her mind.

After leaving the crime scene last night, Mac had driven her to the hotel, where she picked up a pair of clean sweatpants, sneakers, and a white zip-up hoodie. She couldn't bring herself to look in her parent's room; all of their things were in there, and she couldn't bear to think of them never coming back.

Once they left the hotel, they headed straight to the police station, and Adriana had spent the last seven hours looking at a television in the police commissioner's office, while Mac and his team tried to figure out what to do. They had a suspect (Sonny, she thought his name was; she hadn't really been paying attention), and had sent a detective to get an alibi from him. Then, they had called the British Embassy, trying to figure out a way to get her parents' wills sent over the U.S. Because, besides them being murdered, she still had to figure out a place to live.

People were walking on eggshells around her, and she hated it. Everyone was afraid to say anything to her, or even look at her. The only time anyone had said a word was then they were offering her something to eat or drink. She didn't accept anything; she wasn't hungry. And she thought, if she did eat, she just might puke.

But now, it was ten in the morning, and it was finally time to iron out the details. Mac's voice came from the doorway again. "Come on, Adriana. Diane's here. We have to work everything out."

Adriana glumly stood up, hands in her hoodie pockets, feet dragging on the floor. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy, and she sniffled every few seconds, trying to hold back her tears. She followed Mac out of his office and into the interrogation room, where Lucky and a woman stood, waiting. The woman was petite, with bright red hair and a designer suit. She looked sharp, and Adriana found herself liking her instantly.

"Adriana, this is Diane Miller," introduced Mac. "She'll act as your lawyer through this, okay?"

"It's nice to meet you," said Adriana, not looking her new attorney in the eye.

"Likewise," said Diane. She turned to Mac and Lucky. "Now, gentlemen, let's get to business."

"Alright," said Mac. He turned to Adriana. "You can sit down, right there." He pointed to a metal chair. Adriana obeyed, Diane standing behind her, and the two cops standing across from her. On the table were three thick manila folders. When Adriana looked, she saw that they were hers and her parents' records.

"They got here that fast?" she asked, amazed. She didn't need to explain what "they" were.

Mac nodded. "Yes. This is an emergency. The British Embassy was very cooperative. Got these over here in no time." He opened the first one, which Adriana saw was her father's. Tears almost started flooding again. That folder contained her father's entire life, and would never expand again.

"Okay," Mac muttered to himself, rifling through the many papers in the file. He kept flipping until he found what he was looking for. "Here it is: your father's will." Adriana braced herself. She couldn't help thinking of what was going through her father's mind when he wrote this. He probably didn't expect it to be put to use so soon. Mac scanned the document, finally finding the right section. "Okay. It says here that, in the event that anything should happen to both of your parents, you are to live with your mother's brother, James Zachary." He peered at Adriana over the paper. "Do you have an Uncle James?"

Adriana's heart sank. Not anymore. "He died in a car accident a year and a half ago," she choked out, getting nervous. What if they couldn't find someone for her to stay with? What would happen then?

Mac rubbed his forehead, frustrated. "Okay, give me a second." He turned to her mother's file, looking through it until he found her will. He glanced over it, then put it back down slowly. "It says the same thing," he said, turning to Lucky.

"Well, do you have any other relatives?" Lucky asked Adriana. "Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents…?"

"My mum only had the one brother. He never married, and, as far as I know, never had kids. My dad was an only child. My grandparents are either dead or in nursing homes." She felt the tears start brimming in her eyes. "What's going to happen to me? I don't want to go into foster care! I don't want to be a number in a system! I want my parents!"

"Calm down, calm down," soothed Mac. He went back to Adriana's father's folder, hastily going through it again. "There has to be something." He flipped through every single paper, until he found something that caught his eye. "Wait a minute." He pulled out a thick packet of papers, his eyes widening.

"What is it?" inquired Adriana. "Tell me!"

Mac turned the papers around so that they were facing her. The words "DOCUMENTS FOR ADOPTION" stared back at her.

Adriana was confused. "My dad wasn't adopted."

"I know," said Mac, turning the papers back around. "You were."

Adriana shook her head. She couldn't have heard him right. Adopted? No. Her parents would have told her. She wasn't adopted. She couldn't have been. "That's impossible."

"No it's not," said Lucky, going around Mac to open the third manila folder: hers. He pulled out the top paper, reading it over to himself. His eyes didn't widen; instead, they turned into slits of fury. He showed the paper to Mac. "Take a look at this." Mac glanced over it. His eyes widened even more.

"What?" Adriana asked, confused and angry. What was going on? Why were these people acting like this? What was on that paper?

"It's your birth certificate," said Lucky.

"Yeah, so?" asked Adriana.

Lucky turned the certificate around, so that Adriana could take a good look at it. Her birthday was right. So was her height and weight. But there were a couple things on there that weren't. "That's not my birth certificate," she said. "This must be a mistake."

"Not if you were adopted," said Lucky.

"But I wasn't!" she insisted. "This has to be a mistake. My name is Adriana Claudette Brown, not Adriana Claudette Lansing!" She gestured at the certificate. "And these aren't my parents! I've never even heard of these people!" She looked back at the document, to read the names that were listed as the mother and father. "Claudia Zacchara and Trevor Lansing? This is absurd!"

Lucky shook his head. "I don't think your parents were a hundred percent honest with you," he said, pulling out another document. It was the same one that was in her father's: the crazy one about adoption. "It says here that Thomas and Cassandra Brown, on August 6, 1992, one week after your birthday, adopted you, with legal permission from your birth mother, Claudia Zacchara." He pulled another piece of paper out. "And this is a document stating your legal name change from Adriana Claudette Lansing to Adriana Claudette Brown."

Adriana could have passed out from shock. No matter how many legal documents were shoved in her face, she wouldn't believe it. She couldn't be adopted. She just couldn't be. Thomas and Cassandra Brown were her biological parents. They had to be. And if they weren't, they would have mentioned it. They were never ones to keep secrets from her.

Once she got herself back to present, Adriana forced out one of a million questions that she had. "But, who are these people, Trevor Lansing and Claudia Zacchara? I've never heard of them. My parents never mentioned them—"

"What are you talking about?" said Lucky. "You know Claudia Zacchara." Adriana looked at him, confused. "She was with you last night."

Adriana's eyes lit up in recognition. Claudia, the nice woman she had met on the pier. The nice woman who had held her close when her parents were killed. But wait—

"Her name's not Claudia Zacchara," she said, as if that one statement would make everything else that had happened a lie. "Her name's Claudia Corinthos."

"That's her married name," explained Mac. "She was born Claudia Zacchara."

Adriana's jaw dropped open. In less than twelve hours, her entire life had become a lie.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

"What?" asked Adriana, not surprised, or even confused. She was angry. She was pissed off. She was five seconds from throwing something.

Under her red hair, Diane started fuming. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Claudia Zacchara and Trevor Lansing had a child?" She walked around the table and picked up one of the copies of the adoption papers. She glanced over each page, her face becoming more disgusted by the second. "Oh, my God, it's true. So that means…" She trailed off, looking like she might puke.

"Hold on," said Lucky. "Claudia and Trevor? But—how?"

"Really, Lucky, it's not that hard to figure out," snapped Diane.

Lucky glared at her. "I mean, I know how, but—how?"

"I think I need a martini," said Diane, fanning herself.

"I think I'll join you," said Mac, sitting down.

Adriana looked at all the adults surrounding her. They looked more shocked, confused, and upset about this than she was. Obviously, there was something about Claudia and this Trevor Lansing that she wasn't grasping. She should soon; they were her parents. She almost had to steady herself from this thought. Her parents? No, that couldn't be right. Her parents were dead. She had seen them, lying in that alley, just last night. But if everything in these legal documents was true, then those weren't her parents that were rotting away in the coroner's office.

Questions chased more questions around her head, going so fast she felt like she was going to pass out. Why had her parents lied to her about being adopted? Why was she put up for adoption in the first place? Did Claudia know that she was her mother? Did this Trevor guy know that he was a father? How did they even end up together in the first place? Did any of this have anything to do with her parents' murder?

"Adriana?" asked Mac. Adriana shook her head, realizing that she probably looked like she was about to be sick. It was a good thing she hadn't eaten anything in twelve hours.

"Yeah?" she asked, still distracted. So much was happening so fast. Her parents were dead—wait. The people who had claimed to be her parents were dead. Her real parents were out and about, most likely having no idea that their daughter was so close. She thought back to when she had shouted, "I want my parents!" She didn't mean it like this.

"We're gonna call Claudia, okay?" he said. "We'll get her down here, straighten out the whole thing." He stood up, rubbing his forehead. "Does anything ever slow down in this God forsaken town?" he asked himself as he walked out the door.

Diane walked over to Adriana, putting her arm on the girl's shoulder. "You okay?"

"No," Adriana stated simply. "No, I'm not okay. The two people who I thought were my parents are dead, and now, all of a sudden, I have a brand new pair of parents. So, no, I'm not okay!"

Diane rubbed her shoulder. "It'll all work out. But, you're gonna need me. This is going to require major representation."

Adriana blushed. "I can't afford a lawyer."

Diane smiled. "Don't worry. You won't pay a cent. I'll send the bill to Claudia."

Adriana had to laugh. "Sounds good. She owes me at least that."

*

"Who was that?" asked Sonny as Claudia hung up the phone.

"Uh, the police station," said Claudia nervously. Sonny's face went pale.

"What did they say?" he asked. What if they saw through Claudia's alibi? What if they had one hundred percent proof positive that he had murdered the Browns?

Claudia shrugged. "Not much. They just said it was an emergency, and I needed to get down there immediately." She saw Sonny's worried face and smiled. "Oh, come on, Sonny. Johnny probably got in a fight and I have to go bail him out. You know how much they hate him down there."

"Yeah, you're right," said Sonny, shaking off all negative thoughts. "That's probably what it is." He hoped that was what it was.

*

"Commissioner Scorpio. Commissioner Scorpio!" Lenny ran into the police station, stumbling in his excitement, half his mind still on Claudia. All the cops looked at him, laughing. None of them understood why Mac had put Lenny on the Brown case. He should have kept him with purse snatchers.

"What? What is it?" asked Mac hurriedly, cutting his conversation with one of his cops short. He ran over to Lenny, sharing in the young detective's excitement. "Did Corinthos give you an alibi? What?"

"Yeah, he gave me an alibi," said Lenny proudly.

"Well, where is it?" asked Mac.

Lenny became confused. It? He'd hardly refer to Claudia as an it. "What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean, did his alibi sign the right papers?" asked Mac.

Papers? Lenny's face fell. There were papers?

Mac noticed the change in Lenny immediately. "You didn't get a written statement?" His face started turning red in his anger. With everything going on, he didn't have time to be chasing after Corinthos. Why did he assign Lenny to this case? "Really, Harrison? I thought you were smarter than that. You didn't get a written statement?"

Lenny blushed heavily. All the cops in the precinct were watching and laughing. He had screwed up big time. Rule number one at the PCPD: when it came to Sonny Corinthos, you did not screw up.

"Oh, God, Harrison!" Mac shouted. "How could you be so stupid? We need that written statement!"

"Look, sir, I'm sorry—"

"Yeah, you better be sorry! You need to get back to Sonny's now and get me a legal written statement." Before he could say more, a uniformed cop ran over to him.

"Sir, someone just called in a boat explosion. A cargo ship, off Port Charles Harbor."

Mac put his head in his hands. "As much as I don't want to deal with this now, we have to. Man, I was expecting a little bit of a break today, but no. Now those mobsters are blowing up ships in broad daylight." He turned to Lenny. "That alibi's gonna have to wait. We need all hands on deck down at the harbor."

"Okay, sir," said Lenny, obedient as usual.

Lucky came running out of the interrogation room. "I heard about the explosion. Are we ready?"

Mac shook his head. "No, Lucky, you stay here."

"Ugh," groaned Lucky. "But why?"

"Someone needs to stay with Adriana."

"But Diane—"

"I mean a police officer. Claudia and Diane know each other. We need someone unbiased in there to work this out."

Lucky was angry. Why was he always forced to stay behind, while everyone else got in on all the action? But, he had to listen to Mac. Mac was the boss. "Fine. But I wouldn't call myself 'unbiased.' I hate Claudia, and everything she stands for."

"Suck it up for now, okay?" said Mac. "Adriana needs you. Won't you help her?"

Lucky sighed. "Fine. I'll do it for Adriana. But that doesn't make me any less sickened by what Claudia did."

"Look, deal with it when she gets here," said Mac, starting to head out the door with his team. "But remember: keep it cool. For Adriana."

*

When Claudia walked into the precinct, she noticed how quiet it was. Most of the cops were gone; only a few were still wandering about. The only one she recognized was Lucky, who advanced towards her, his face red, angry, and violent.

"Hey, Lucky, what's—"

"I'll tell you what's going on!" he said. "You're a slut!"

Claudia was taken aback by the insult. "Excuse me?"

"You get into bed with Trevor Lansing, get pregnant, and then throw your kid off on someone else, not even bothering to speak up when her adoptive parents are killed! You make me sick!" He shoved Claudia forcefully, and her anger began to cloud her worry.

"Hey, hands off, pal!" she shouted. "What are you talking about?"

Lucky laughed, his chuckle full of mirth. "You know, I really shouldn't be surprised. You would force all your problems on to someone else. Do you ever take responsibility for anything?"

Claudia bit her bottom lip. She knew exactly what he was talking about, but wasn't going to show her hand that quickly. First, she needed to figure out how much he knew. "Okay, slow down and back up. What are you talking about?"

"This," said Lucky, shoving Adriana's birth certificate in Claudia's face. Claudia took it from him and read every single word printed on it. The fact that it was all there, plain as could be, made tears start to spring in Claudia's eyes. July 30, 1992. Had it really been that long? It seemed like it had just been yesterday, when she held her baby girl in her arms. And then, a week later, she had given her away, and moved on with her life. She had never expected this part of her history to come back so soon, or ever, for that matter. She hadn't wanted it to come back. She was ashamed of it all.

"That's what I thought," said Lucky, eyeing Claudia's guilty face. She jumped, having forgotten that he was there. When she looked up at him, he was even more angry than before.

Claudia gulped, mentally preparing herself. What should she say? Hey, I'm your real mom, I gave you up for adoption because I was so selfish, and I now I actually care about you? Or, even better: you were a complete and total accident and I was too much of a coward to deal with it? No. She wouldn't say anything. Adriana probably wouldn't want to talk to her, or even look at her. Claudia wouldn't blame her; she would do the same thing.

But, she had to talk to her. She had to explain what had happened, and why. Adriana might not understand, but at least she'd know. At least she'd be a little more forgiving. Well, maybe.

"Where—where is she?" Claudia choked out.

"I don't have to tell you that," said Lucky stubbornly.

Claudia took her right hand and slapped him clean across the face. Lucky flinched in shock.

"Don't you dare!" she yelled at him. The few other cops in the precinct started staring, interested in the turn this was taking. "You have no right to look down your nose at me! You stand there, acting all smug, like you've never done anything to be ashamed of!" Tears were pouring out of her eyes now, as she yelled at the detective. "You have no idea of the hell I've been through! I don't care if you hate my guts! Don't treat me like a criminal! I did what I did for a reason!"

Lucky rubbed the spot where Claudia had slapped him. Claudia stood in front of him, her breathing heavy and infuriated. He looked at her, his face still sickened, and said, "Fine. But she probably doesn't want to see you."

"I don't care," said Claudia defiantly. "She's my daughter, and I have every right to see her."

Lucky angrily led Claudia to the door of the interrogation room. What was she talking about? She had no right to see Adriana. Biologically, yes, they were mother and daughter. But in everything else that mattered, they weren't related at all. Who was she, to think that the last sixteen years didn't matter? How could she just give Adriana to someone else, and then expect Adriana to love her immediately? Every single one of the Zaccharas was crazy. Poor Adriana had no idea what genes she had inherited.

Still incredibly angry, Lucky slammed the door to the interrogation room open, making Adriana and Diane jump. He entered first, and walked over to a corner, were he folded his arms and sulked. Claudia stood in the doorway, staring at her daughter, who stared back.

Adriana didn't know what to say. Should she be angry? Yes. Claudia had just given her away without a second thought. She hadn't taken responsibility for her actions. But, should she try to be understanding? Yes. She didn't know what the situation between Claudia and Trevor Lansing had been. Maybe she had every reason to give her up. Maybe she should be happy. Maybe Claudia had given her a better life with the Browns than she would have had if she hadn't been adopted. Adriana didn't regret a single day that she had had with her parents. Shouldn't she be grateful that Claudia gave her such a wonderful life? Traveling all over the world, seeing something new every day…maybe that was the best life that Adriana could've had. She'd like to believe so.

She kept staring at Claudia, still at a loss for what to say. There was only one thing she could think of, something to break the ice. "Are you my mother?"

Claudia took a deep breath. This was what she had been preparing for. This was it. "Yes," she answered, and the tears started flowing again.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

"That martini is looking better and better," said Diane, breaking the silence first.

After Claudia's affirmative answer, no one had moved an inch. Lucky was still sulking in his corner. Claudia still stood awkwardly in the doorway, not knowing whether she was allowed to come all the way in. Adriana still sat, staring at her mother. Diane stood behind her, praying for God to just rain buckets of tequila down upon her.

Adriana was still at a loss for words. Even though every single piece of paper that she had seen in the last two hours proved that Claudia was her biological mother, it didn't actually sink in until Claudia had told her herself. And even after that, Adriana still didn't know what to say, or what to feel. The parents that she had known and loved for her entire life were dead, murdered. She should be mourning their deaths, not trying to find her biological parents. It wasn't fair, to her or to them. Finding out that Claudia was her real mother would normally be cause for celebration, but it felt guilty just to smile. It was like she was replacing them. Like their deaths meant nothing at all. It was like the time, when she was little, that she had been playing ball in the house. The ball had gotten out of control, and cracked a mirror into millions of little glass shards. Her mother hadn't gotten angry—she just went out and bought another one. Adriana didn't think that parents should be replaced so easily. They were human beings. They had hopes, dreams, fears. They loved, and were loved. And now, all of a sudden, someone who, a week ago, didn't care that she even had a child, was going to replace them. It wasn't right.

Claudia didn't know what to say either. She felt like a fraud, coming in here and claiming something that wasn't legally or rightfully hers. This poor girl had just lost the only parents she had ever known, and now she was supposed to accept new ones. Claudia knew exactly how she felt. When she was little, and her father and left her mother, and then went off and married Maria, she hated it. She hated how her mother had been replaced with someone else. And she hated how Maria had tried to be her mother. She would always expect Claudia to talk to her, and understand her, and love her, and Claudia wouldn't have it. That was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. Whenever she looked back on her childhood, and thought of the things that she could've done differently, she'd think of this: maybe, if she had been nicer towards Maria, her father wouldn't have hated her so much, and then she wouldn't have had to do what she did. And Adriana wouldn't be here, and everyone's lives would be a lot less complicated.

"So, what happens now?" asked Lucky, bringing Adriana and Claudia back to the present.

Diane shook her head. "I have absolutely no idea. This is a very unique situation. It could take months to sort out."

"Months?" asked Lucky, bewildered.

"It won't take months," said Claudia. "In fact, we can make this very easy. Adriana can just come home with me now. Where do I sign?"

Lucky finally removed himself from his corner, his anger towards Claudia coming back. "Where do you sign? She's not a package, Claudia! She's a human being! But, you wouldn't know that, seeing as you just tossed her to the wayside when things got too complicated!"

"There you go again, giving your opinion on things that you have no right to give your opinion on! I carried that girl inside me for nine months! I frigging gave birth to her!"

"You have no legal rights to her!" shouted Lucky. "You gave her up for adoption! You can't just come and take her back whenever you feel like it!"

"Her adoptive parents are dead! Would you rather her live with me, or be shuffled around from stranger to stranger?"

"You're no more than a stranger to her yourself!" Lucky would not and could not let Adriana go home with Claudia. He would never do that to a child, even one he barely knew. Not to mention that he suspected Claudia's husband, Sonny, as the Browns' murderer. "How can you stand there and claim to know everything about her?"

Claudia scoffed. "I never—"

"You didn't have to! You're walking around like you know what's best for everyone!"

"When it comes to my daughter, I'm pretty sure I know what's best! Why do you think I gave her up in the first place?"

"Because you don't think! You never think!" He was coming close to shoving Claudia again, but didn't want to scare Adriana more than he already had. "You're not even thinking now! Look at your lifestyle, Claudia. Look at who you're married to." He glanced at Adriana, whose eyes were wide as she watched Claudia and Lucky fight. It would have been amusing, if it wasn't so serious. Lucky turned back to Claudia. "You really want to bring a kid into that world?"

Adriana was confused. What world? Then she remembered the first conversation that she had had with Claudia:

_Her father had never explained to her why she hadn't been allowed to go to Italy those couple of times that he went. Adriana had never pressed it; it probably wasn't anything important. "Maybe he's afraid of the mafia or something," she laughed._

_Claudia laughed along with her, but it was only half-hearted. "I wouldn't joke about that," she said._

Maybe Claudia and her husband were involved in the mafia? It was a possibility, and it would answer about fifteen questions that she had. Only five million more to go.

Claudia took in Lucky's last comment, considering it. Maybe he was right. Maybe she shouldn't subject Adriana to that world. That was why she had given her up in the first place. But, at the same time, she couldn't let go of this opportunity to have her daughter back. And besides, she had grown up in the mob and she had turned out—okay, maybe that wasn't the best example. But Adriana's case would be different.

Lucky took Claudia's silence as an agreement. "That's what I thought," he said stubbornly.

Claudia wasn't giving up that easily. "No, you're wrong! My husband's business is stable right now. Adriana wouldn't be in any danger."

"Yeah, you say that now—"

"Alright, knock it off!" yelled Diane, finally intervening. "Can we all try to act like adults here?" Claudia leaned on the doorjamb, tucking a piece of dark hair behind her ear. Lucky went back to his corner. Diane cleared her throat, then spoke again. "Now," she said, completely businesslike, "shouldn't we all put aside our personal feelings and ask Adriana what she wants to do?"

Adriana was taken aback. She was supposed to decide? She had kind of hoped that Claudia, Lucky, and Diane would sort this out for her. She wasn't in the right frame of mind to make a decision like this. She'd be unhappy with whatever they decided. Her parents had just been murdered, and she was supposed to pick their replacements less than a day later? She didn't want to go with Claudia, but she didn't want to be a number in a system either. She wanted to go home with her parents, Thomas and Cassandra Brown, but she knew that that was impossible.

Maybe going home with Claudia wouldn't be such a bad thing. She had been nice to Adriana the few times that they'd actually seen each other. And besides, Adriana wanted the full story of how she came to be. Only Claudia could provide these answers, and Adriana felt like she had the right to know where she came from.

But what if she didn't like the answers to her many questions? What if Claudia didn't have a good reason for giving her up, or for conceiving her in the first place? What if she expected Adriana to just accept her as a mother? Adriana couldn't do that; she barely knew Claudia, and it would be unfair to the mother that had raised her. And Lucky didn't seem to like this husband of hers. Was he mean? Crazy? What if Claudia was living in an abusive environment? So many things could go wrong if Adriana chose to live with Claudia.

She didn't want to be a foster child, though. She knew a girl once that was a foster child. Her name was Carmen. She had lived on Adriana's street for a year, before she was sent somewhere else. Adriana had been really sad to see her go, and thanked God that she wasn't being passed around from stranger to stranger like a present that no one wanted.

But, she was sixteen. It would only be two years, maybe less than that. Adriana hadn't even considered the possibility of living on her own. She didn't have much money, and she wouldn't find a good job; she wasn't even out of home-schooled high school. She didn't have the means to go to college. She wasn't street smart, either. Every time she went to Paris, she was pick-pocketed. If she couldn't even keep a few dollars in her purse, how was she supposed to survive on her own? It would be impossible.

There were so many options, but none of them were enticing enough. It seemed as though every single one would turn out badly. So what was she supposed to do?

Finally, she came to a decision. Something that wasn't definite, but that would last her through the night. She would not spend another night in the police station. She had to go somewhere. "I've decided," she said, and all the adults snapped their heads in her direction. She hadn't realized how long she had been thinking. She turned to Diane. "Would it be okay if—if I spent the night at Claudia's, and then decide in the morning?"

Diane was taken aback by her decision. Not that it was a strange one; it was just very mature for someone her age. This girl obviously wanted to make sure she had the best life she could, given the circumstances. "I-I guess so," she stammered. "I don't have a problem with it."

"Yeah, well I do," said Lucky.

"No one asked for your input," Claudia sniped at him. She turned back to Adriana. "Is that what you want to do?"

Adriana nodded. "Yes."

"Okay," said Claudia. "Then we will see you guys in the morning," she said to Diane and Lucky. She walked out the door, and Adriana started to slowly amble out after her, when Lucky put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Adriana still couldn't understand what his problem was. "I'm sure," she insisted.

Lucky sighed. Claudia was manipulative. What if she found a way to convince Adriana to stay with her? Lucky would never forgive himself if something happened to Adriana, and he had had the chance to stop it. "Just keep in mind what you want," he advised her. "Don't let Claudia or anyone else try to tell you what's right."

"Like you're doing right now?" asked Adriana spitefully. Lucky was some hypocrite, acting like Claudia was trying to lure Adriana over to some "dark side," while he was trying to put her into foster care. And he was acting all high and mighty over Claudia, as if he'd never done anything wrong in his life. She didn't know any specific examples, but nobody was perfect.

Lucky glared at her. It was happening already. Adriana hadn't even gotten in the car with Claudia, and she was starting to act like her. Talking back, rude, disrespectful towards authority…none of it was good. Nothing gave anybody the right to act out, even losing both of your parents in the same night. Lucky wouldn't be able to stand a Mini-Claudia running around Port Charles. In fact, it might just make him crazy.

Adriana turned to Diane, said a quick "thank you," and headed out the door, not giving Lucky another glance. She followed her new mother out to a black Mercedes. When they were in the car, Claudia pulled out a Three Musketeers and offered it to Adriana. Adriana took it; she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. As she chewed on the chocolate, something her old mother used to say to her all the time popped into her head:

_"Adriana, you know what you're supposed to do if you see a stranger, right? You don't talk to them, you don't get in the car with them, you don't accept candy from them, and if a stranger tries to talk to you, you tell a trustworthy grown-up, okay?"_

It was as if those rules had died with her. Adriana had talked to Claudia that first day on the pier. Now, she was in Claudia's car, eating a candy bar that Claudia had offered her. And, she had disrespected Lucky, a cop, a trustworthy adult. This new life came with new rules, new common sense. Her mother's warnings didn't mean anything anymore. It was a new game, one that Adriana wasn't looking forward to playing.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

Adriana didn't like the house the minute she stepped into it. She and Claudia had stopped by the Metro-Court to pick up the rest of her things. The police had taken her parents' things, grasping at any straws they could to find evidence of who murdered them. So now, as she stood in the entrance hall, her suitcase in her hand, all she could think about was being back with her parents at the Metro-Court, instead of in this depressing hovel.

The house even came with bodyguards, which made Adriana even more uneasy. What kind of place was Claudia living in, where guards were necessary? Claudia had introduced them as Max and Milo. They seemed nice, but still…

"Hey, Max, take Adriana's suitcase upstairs, 'kay?" Claudia demanded of the larger bodyguard.

"Sure, Mrs. C," said Max. He grabbed Adriana's suitcase and hauled it up the back stairs, while Milo stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Is Sonny home?" Claudia asked him.

"Yeah, he's right in the living room," said Milo.

Sonny, thought Adriana. Wasn't that the name of the man that the police suspected killed her parents? No, it probably wasn't. She had just heard wrong. But if it was, she was sure there were lots of Sonny's in Port Charles. Why was she even considering that this particular Sonny was her parents' murderer? She didn't like thinking so absurdly, but with everything happening all at once, how could she not?

Claudia led Adriana into the living room, which was just as depressing as the entrance hall. Dark reds, browns, and blacks were the only colors that Adriana saw. It reminded her of a funeral home, the last place she wanted to be reminded of.

In the middle of the dismal room, on a couch, sat a man with dark, tan skin, slicked back hair, and deep brown eyes. When he heard the door open, he stood up. His wife, he was expecting; Adriana, not so much.

"Hey," he said to Claudia. Adriana noticed how there was no hugging, kissing, or any other exchange that her parents would do when one of them came home. In fact, it didn't seem like Sonny and Claudia were married at all. The vibe that Adriana got was that they were just two people living under the same roof. There was a sort of coldness in the air that she couldn't explain, and it didn't make her feel any more comfortable.

Sonny glanced at Adriana, confused. "What's going on?" he asked his wife. "Who's this?"

"This is Adriana," said Claudia nervously, knowing that she still hadn't explained anything to Sonny. How would he react when he found out that she had had a child with Trevor? He'd probably be pissed beyond words. "She's gonna stay with us for the night, okay?"

Sonny was still confused. He had never expected Claudia to be good with kids, and why was she inviting this particular one into their home? "Uh, why?" he asked.

Claudia glanced anxiously at Adriana, who assumed that Claudia hadn't told her husband about the situation. What kind of marriage was this, where you kept such big secrets from your spouse?

"Hey, why don't you head up to your room, and I'll meet you up there in a sec?" said Claudia to her daughter.

Adriana shrugged her shoulders. It didn't bother her that they'd want to be alone for a minute. Her parents would sometimes ask her to do this. But they had been a happily married couple, so Adriana didn't completely understand why Claudia and Sonny would want to talk alone. It didn't seem like they shared anything with each other.

"Yeah, sure," she said, starting to head up the stairs in the living room.

"Top of the stairs, first door on the left," Claudia directed. Adriana ascended the staircase, leaving Claudia and Sonny to talk alone. She wasn't in the mood to eavesdrop.

"So, you wanna explain?" Sonny asked once Adriana was out of earshot.

No, Claudia thought. She didn't want to explain. She had never wanted Sonny to know about Adriana. But, now, she had to tell him. "Can we, uh, sit down?" she asked, hoping that the room would stop spinning once she did.

"Yeah, sure," said Sonny, and they both sat down on the couch. "So, what's going on?"

Where did she start? It was all so complicated. She might as well just wing it. "Uh, well, do you remember when I told you about my little, uh…rendezvous, with Trevor Lansing?"

"Yeah," said Sonny. How could he forget? It was probably the grossest thing he had ever heard. Who would want to shack up with that bastard? Well, Claudia had had her reasons, but still—it didn't make it any less disgusting.

"Well, it had it's…consequences," said Claudia, not meeting Sonny's eyes. It took Sonny a second to realize what she was talking about, but when he did, his eyes opened so wide, Claudia didn't think he'd blink again.

"You mean—?" He glanced at the second floor landing, where Adriana had been just minutes before.

Claudia nodded. "Yeah. Adriana is my daughter."

Sonny couldn't believe it. Her what? Claudia couldn't have a daughter. She was the last person on the planet that would even consider having a child. Even if it was an accident, Sonny was sure she would have had an abortion. He'd never expect her to carry a baby to term, and then give birth to it. And he thought they had been honest about everything. Well, he had lied about some stuff, but it was mostly small stuff. This was huge.

"You have a daughter? How could you not tell me?" Claudia braced herself. Sonny was about to go into one of his long rants, and she couldn't deal with it right now. She'd need to go to Adriana soon, and this reprimand could take hours. "This isn't like a DUI or a couple weeks in juvie. This is life changing! How could you keep this from me?"

"Sonny—"

"And she's Trevor Lansing's daughter, too? Does she have any idea what kind of stuff she inherited? Trevor was a son of a bitch that beat me when I was a kid! The fact that you even slept with him was beyond belief, but the fact that you had a kid with him? It's gross, Claudia! How could you do that?"

"Look, I—"

"What is Ric gonna say when he finds out? He'll probably claim legal rights to her or do something Ric-like, like chain her to a wall or something…I don't know, it won't be good. He'll be out for your blood, Claudia, for hiding the fact that he had a sister! Do you ever think before you do anything? Did you even think how many people this would be affecting? You—"

"Sonny, stop!" Claudia shouted, finally cutting her husband off. Sonny remained quiet as Claudia continued. "You don't think these things have run through my head a million times? You're not helping!"

"I'm just—"

"I don't care what you're trying to do!" she yelled, standing up. Sonny was taken aback at her abruptness. Sure, Claudia yelled a lot, but this was something more. Her anger seemed to have more power than when they were arguing about petty things, like redecorating the house, or Olivia's relationship with Johnny.

Claudia took in Sonny's surprise, and checked herself. She counted to ten in her head, the redness in her face ebbing away and her breathing returning to normal. She didn't want to fight with Sonny, at least not now. There were more important things at stake than who won the shouting match today.

"Look," she said, her shaky voice back at its normal volume, "I know that I owe you a huge explanation. But I owe Adriana one first."

"Could you at least tell me what she's doing here?" asked Sonny nervously, hoping he was allowed to speak.

"Fine," said Claudia. She owed him that much. "She was here with her parents from England. They were murdered last night."

Sonny's eyes opened wide. Murdered? So there were at least four corpses lying around Port Charles last night? Or were there? What was it that Jason had said before Sonny had conducted his plan last night?

_"Sonny, don't you ever think? This Brown guy—he's got a wife. He's got a kid, Sonny. You really want that kid growing up without a father?"_

Could he have murdered Adriana's parents? No, he couldn't have. That would be too much of a coincidence. He brushed the thought away as Claudia continued.

"There was this huge thing down at the PCPD today—anyway, long story short, Adriana wants to stay with me tonight. I think she wants an explanation."

Sonny gave Claudia one of his "ya think?" stares. "Yeah, if I were her, I'd want an explanation, too."

"Then I'm gonna go give her one," said Claudia, leaving Sonny to his own tangled and mesmerizing thoughts.

*

Adriana didn't like this room any better than the rest of the house. It had the same dark colors and depressing aura around it that made her feel even more upset about everything. She sat on a red satin window seat with her knees hugged to her chest, staring at the vast grounds of Sonny's estate. She had heard Sonny and Claudia fighting. She couldn't discern any words; she heard her father's name thrown in a couple times, but the rest was just loud gibberish. But it didn't matter if she had heard what they were saying—she couldn't stand it when adults fought.

A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts, and Claudia awkwardly walked in, not even waiting for an answer.

"Hey," she said, walking over to the edge of the bed that was closest to Adriana, and sitting down.

"Hey," Adriana said back, wiping away a couple of tears that had fallen during Sonny and Claudia's argument.

Claudia stared at her daughter, not knowing where to start with her explanation. Adriana probably wouldn't like anything she had to say, but Claudia couldn't spend the rest of her life knowing that she had withheld this information. "I'm guessing that you want me to explain everything," she said nervously.

Adriana nodded. "Start at the beginning."

The beginning? They'd be there all day. But, Adriana deserved the full story. Claudia wouldn't leave out a detail. "When I was little—and I mean real little, like five or six—I was probably the happiest kid in the world. I had the most loving parents. My father spoiled me rotten." Claudia stopped to chuckle at the irony. Anyone who knew her father would call her a liar if they were hearing this story. "He was a small business owner. We weren't rich, but we were happy. And then, Trevor Lansing came along."

Adriana noticed the mirth in her voice. "My father," she added unnecessarily.

Claudia nodded. "I wouldn't say that too loud. It's nothing to be proud of." Adriana didn't say anything, so she continued. "Trevor was a lawyer—I know, it's bad already right?" she said at Adriana's face. They both laughed a little at the joke. "Anyway, he was a lawyer. A lawyer who wanted power. But, he was too much of a coward to get it for himself, so he decided to hide behind my father. He was like a—a muse, I guess, or a conscience. He was always there, whispering in my father's ear. Well, it wasn't long before my father's business grew bigger and bigger, and we were getting richer and richer. My father trusted Trevor completely, until it got to the point where every word out of Trevor's mouth was gospel. My father became greedy. Vicious. He was killing for money and power. And Trevor was pulling the strings the whole time."

Adriana felt for Claudia. What would it be like to see your father in that kind of light, at such a young age? It must have been traumatic. Adriana was about to say something, but she wanted Claudia to continue. In fact, Adriana was starting to get so lost in the story that she forgot that it would eventually have something to do with her. It seemed more like the plot of a book than a real-life situation.

"Trevor knew he was in control," Claudia went on. "He knew he could persuade my father to do anything. And he did." She stopped for a second to control the tears that were fighting to come out. She would not lose it in front of Adriana. She had to finish the story. "There was another family in town that was also fighting for power. Angelo Savroso was going after the same things as my father. Trevor saw in opportunity. Why fight Savroso, and risk losing, when they could make an alliance with him, and become even more powerful? Savroso only had one kid: a daughter, Maria. He was slowly losing a battle to cancer, and he needed someone to take over for him when he died. Trevor convinced my father to leave my mother and marry Maria, making an alliance that would double his power."

"That's awful," said Adriana, the need to say something and give Claudia a break finally becoming unbearable.

"It was," said Claudia, letting a couple tears fall from her dark brown eyes. "He sent my mother away, and kept me to show how powerful he was. To show that he could keep a child from her mother." Her words were starting to become choked. "I haven't seen my mother since."

Adriana knew how she felt, if not quite to the same extent. Her mother had died less than a day ago, and she would never see her again. Claudia had gone through the same thing. Maybe they would be able to relate after all.

"While I hate to admit it, Trevor was right," Claudia said spitefully. "My father did become more powerful. And the power was starting to drive him crazy. He always used to be so nice to me, but now that he had this new life with Maria, I didn't mean anything, especially when my brother was born." Claudia stopped wiping some of the wetness from her eyes. "That's the only thing I don't regret about him marrying Maria. Without that, I wouldn't have my brother." She paused for a second, smiling to herself, and then went on. "That was when I realized that I didn't mean anything to him anymore. Now that he had a son, an heir, he didn't need me. I was just a burden to him." Adriana couldn't imagine a father not loving his child. Claudia had had such a hard life, and the story wasn't even over yet.

"And throughout all this, Trevor was always there," mused Claudia, a dark look coming over her face. "He never paid me any attention. Well, for awhile," she added. "Then, when I was, I don't know…fifteen, sixteen, maybe…he started noticing me. He would always find excuses to tell me how pretty I was, or how fast I was growing up, or to—to touch me." Her voice was starting to rise, and Adriana could tell that they were reaching the climax. "I knew what he wanted, and I decided to give it to him."

Adriana couldn't believe her ears. She was expecting Trevor Lansing to be a whole lot younger than Claudia was describing him. She thought he might have been a high school boyfriend, or a relationship that had gone way too fast. She was not expecting him to be old enough to be Claudia's father, or to have molested her. This was not the explanation she was looking for.

"I know, it was a huge mistake," said Claudia, continuing. "But I wanted Trevor gone. My father wouldn't believe me if I told him what was going on, so I had to show him." Claudia remembered the day so clearly. She remembered how confident she had been, believing her plan to be full-proof, and then the feeling of extreme anger and loneliness when it had all gone south. "My father liked to watch my stepmother when she worked in the garden. He'd go into his office and stand on the balcony. He'd watch her for hours. So, I waited until Maria was on her way to the garden, and I called Trevor into the office. I gave him what he wanted." There was no point in trying to stop the tears now. Claudia let them flow as she tried to get through the rest. "My father walked in, like I had planned, but he didn't kick Trevor out. He kicked me out."

Adriana was stunned. "How could he have done that?"

"He trusted Trevor and hated me. He knew that I had planned the whole thing. So, he sent me away."

"Away to where?"

"Milan," answered Claudia, "to live with my uncle. I was there a couple weeks, and then I found out I was pregnant."

Now Adriana was crying with her. So this was how she came to be. She was an accident because her father was a psychotic creep and her mother was a naïve teenager. Her parents had always told her that she was special, but now she just felt like a mistake and a burden.

"I didn't know what to do," Claudia said, sobbing. "I couldn't raise a baby. I was sixteen. I could barely take care of myself. My family was in the mob. I was not going to raise a child in that environment. I would not make that mistake."

A question burned Adriana's tongue. "Why didn't you just have an abortion?"

Claudia stared at her. This was a question even she barely knew the answer to. "I went to Catholic school," she said, grasping at the best explanation she could find. "You were a living person, and I didn't have the guts not to give you a chance." It sounded better than, "I didn't have the guts to go through a surgery like that."

Adriana understood. If she were in the same situation, she probably wouldn't have had an abortion either. She wasn't raised with any type of religion, but even she knew that babies were alive the moment they were conceived.

"I started the adoption process. I talked to couple after couple after couple—I didn't get a good vibe from anyone. So, one day I was out with my uncle Rudy, moaning and complaining about not finding good parents for you, when I bumped into the Browns." She smiled at the memory, the one light in this dark part of her life. "They were in Milan for their fifth anniversary. They told me how they had been trying to have a baby for years, but it just never worked out. I knew that they were the ones right away."

Adriana smiled with her. She loved how confident Claudia had been in her parents, and how much she had trusted them with her daughter's life.

"We got all the papers filed, and I flew to London to give birth to you—"

"Wait," interrupted Adriana. "You told me you'd never been to London."

Man, this girl had a good memory. Now Claudia would have to explain her lie. "I block out that part of my life," she said ashamedly. "In my perfect little world, I was never pregnant, and I never went to London." When she saw the look on Adriana's face, she tried to cover. "It's not because of you. Everything I did was my fault. I was ashamed of my actions, but I'd never be ashamed of you."

Adriana believed her. Claudia was being straight with her now, and she appreciated it. While everyone else was dancing on eggshells around her, Claudia was telling her how it was. An ugly truth was always better than a pretty lie, and Adriana needed all the truth she could get, with her life just having been turned upside-down.

"Your parents let me have one week with you, before we signed the final papers," continued Claudia. "It was so hard, after that week, to give you up. I loved you so much, but I knew it was something I had to do, if I wanted you to stay safe."

Adriana was at such a loss for words. In that one story, almost all of her questions had been answered. All of them, save for a few.

"Where is my father now?" she asked, not quite ready for the answer.

Claudia was afraid she was going to ask that question. "He's dead," she whispered. "He fell from the roof of a burning hospital a couple months ago."

Dead? So Adriana would never get to meet her real father? No matter how horrible of a person he was, she wished she had met him, just once, just to see where she came from. He never even knew that he had a daughter.

"Why did you give me his name, if you hated him so much?"

"I thought that it would be harder for my enemies to find you," explained Claudia. "Believe me, I hated it."

Adriana only had one more question. "Do I have to call you Mum?" she asked nervously.

Claudia shook her head forcefully. "No! No, I would never ask you to do that!"

"Then what do I call you?"

Claudia had to think. What would she call her? She didn't think she deserved to be referred to as Adriana's mother, but Claudia wouldn't fly either. "I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "You could call me 'Hey, you' if you wanted to."

Adriana laughed. "I might just take you up on that, at least for now."

Claudia laughed with her, but not for long, as Adriana's face went back to its seemingly permanent frown, and she stared at her hands in her lap.

"Can I get you anything?" Claudia asked, not quite sure what else to do.

"Could I just be alone?" asked Adriana. She needed to process everything that she had just heard.

"Yeah, of course," said Claudia, standing up. She wanted to give Adriana a kiss, and tell her that she loved her, but now wasn't an appropriate time. She walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her, and wondering what to do next.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Johnny moaned when Claudia banged the door of his garage open. He was not in the mood for her problems with Sonny, or for another lecture about his relationship with Olivia. He really should have invested in a lock for that door, because if she slammed it one more time, it would probably come off its hinges.

"Johnny, I need professional help," she said, clacking over to him in her black boots and throwing her black clutch onto one of the work tables.

"No arguments here," said Johnny, coming out from under the hood of the car he was working on, his hands black with motor oil. He wiped them on a rag as he asked, "What's up?"

"My entire life just got turned inside-out in twenty-four hours," fumed Claudia.

Johnny shook his head and laughed. Claudia was probably just blowing everything out of proportion. Again. "What, problems in paradise?" he asked, referring to Claudia's not-so-charmed life with Sonny.

Claudia scowled. Couldn't Johnny just attempt to be sympathetic towards her, just once? She actually had a reason to need his support right now. "No, Sonny and I are fine—well, he's kinda mad at me, but that's to be expected—"

"Why, Claudia?" sighed Johnny. "What did you do this time?"

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?" asked Claudia, offended. Johnny just bore his eyes into hers, and she continued. "Okay, fine, I did do something, but it happened, like, a million years ago, and it's just coming back to bite me in the ass—"

"Claudia, what are you talking about?" asked Johnny, half amused, half totally lost.

Claudia sighed. Telling Sonny about Adriana was one thing. But telling Johnny was something completely different. They had shared everything as kids. He'd really hate her for keeping this big of a secret from him. "Okay, what I'm about to tell you is huge. Life-changing. And you'll probably hate me forever for not telling you."

Now Johnny was worried. What had Claudia done now? "Claudia, please just tell me what's going on."

Claudia took a deep breath. She didn't want to tell the entire story over again. She didn't think she had the stamina. Luckily, Johnny knew the first part of it. "You remember the reason Daddy kicked me out of the house, right? There was that whole thing with Trevor Lansing—"

"Yeah, I know, I know," said Johnny, holding up his hands. He had put a mental block on the entire situation. It was disgusting. "What about it?"

Claudia bit her bottom lip nervously, staring right at her brother. "I got pregnant."

The rag Johnny was holding dropped to the ground, and his mouth opened in shock. She got what? "You got what?"

Claudia covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

Johnny felt his face turn red with anger. Why hadn't she told him about this? He had a right to know. She was his sister, for God's sakes. She didn't have the right to keep this big of a secret from him. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Johnny, let me explain," begged Claudia. Johnny took a couple deep breaths to calm himself down as Claudia continued. "Look, you know what I did and why. And you know that the plan totally backfired, in more ways than one. I got kicked out of the house, and I got pregnant. The only person besides me who knew about this was Uncle Rudy. He supported me the whole way. I gave the baby up for adoption, because I didn't want her growing up like we had grown up. I found the nicest family to raise her, and I knew she'd be safe."

"So, why are you telling me all this now?" asked Johnny spitefully. "Did the secret become too much? Thought you were gonna explode?"

"Let me finish," implored his sister. "Her name is Adriana, and I saw her down at the harbor yesterday. She was here with her parents from England. Her dad was on business." She took a deep breath, ready to rehash this part of the story. "Her parents were murdered last night."

Johnny couldn't believe it. This story just kept getting more and more complicated. "By who?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Claudia. "The police are working on it. Anyway, Mac somehow got a hold of the adoption records. They called me down to the PCPD, and I took Adriana home."

"So, just like that, you're her mom again?"

"No," explained Claudia. "She asked to stay with me for the night, then decide what to do in the morning. She's pretty mature, for sixteen." Claudia beamed with pride.

Johnny noticed his sister's smile, but he didn't see a reason to join her. "Claudia, you're talkin' about this like it's completely normal for long-lost kids to just come out of the blue. What happens if one of Sonny's enemies finds out? What are you going to do then?"

Claudia sighed. "You sound like Lucky," she said with a quick chuckle. But her face turned very serious again when she continued. "Everyone seems to think that everything I've done is for me. I give up Adriana so I don't have to deal with her. I take her back to prove that I'm not a bad mother. Won't someone just consider the possibility that everything I've done, everything I'm doing now, is for her? Is it too hard to believe that I can think of someone other than myself?"

"Look, I'm sorry," said Johnny, walking over and giving his sister a hug. "I'll try to be more supportive." He pulled away from her, smiling. "So, when do I get to meet my niece?"

Claudia smiled back. Well, that hadn't been too hard. He was mad, definitely, but Johnny wasn't one to hold a grudge. He'd get emotional, then forget about it the next day. "I don't know. We still need to see if she wants anything to do with me."

"Where is she now?"

"Sonny's."

Johnny couldn't believe what he was about to say. He never expected to give his older sister parenting advice. "Here's a thought, Claudia: maybe you should try spending some time with your daughter."

"She wants to be alone right now," said Claudia. "I mean, can you imagine? She just lost her parents, and now she has to accept the fact that they weren't her real parents, and that she's stuck with me and Trevor as her mother and father. Kid's got it rough."

"But you'll never get to know her if you don't talk to her," said Johnny. "If I were you, I'd want to know everything about her, even little things: what foods she likes, her favorite band, her friends…not to mention that you still have a lot to tell her."

"I already told her the whole me-and-Trevor fiasco."

"I don't mean that. I mean, like, the fact that she has a whack-job brother? A psycho grandfather? An amazingly cool uncle?"

Claudia gave him a little shove. "Fine, I'll go." She grabbed her purse and started to head for the door, but turned around when a thought popped into her head. "Johnny, what if she hates me?"

Johnny walked up to his sister and gave her one final hug. "We'll deal with it then," was all he said.

Claudia pulled from his embrace and headed out the door. As eager as she was to have her daughter back a few hours ago, she was even more nervous to talk to her now. How was she supposed to start the conversation? "Hey, I know your parents just died and everything, but what's your favorite movie?" No. There had to be a better way.

*

"Detective Harrison. What a surprise." Sonny stood up from his desk chair as Milo let himself out of the room. The same detective that had come that morning was standing in his living room, a file in his hands and an eager grin on his face.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Corinthos," said Lenny, his fingers alive with jitters. He had just come back from the boat explosion, which had been quite a thrilling experience: pieces of ship floating in the arbor, some of them still aflame. And now, he got to see Claudia again. Today was just one exciting thing after the other.

"No, it's no trouble," said Sonny, hiding his nervousness well after years of lying to cops. What was this kid doing back here? He couldn't possibly suspect Sonny of another murder. Sonny hadn't left the house all day. Wouldn't be ironic if he got arrested for a crime he didn't do? He hated the thought, especially since his best alibi, Claudia, wasn't here to save him.

"It's just that…um…" Lenny didn't want to explain his mistake to Port Charles's biggest mobster. He didn't know much about the mob, but a sneaking suspicion told him that weak cops were killed off first. "Well, when I came here earlier, to ask you about a murder that occurred last night, I—well, I—"

"Come on," said Sonny. He was getting impatient. It was like talking to Spinelli, except that this kid spoke English.

Lenny took a deep breath. "I forgot to have you and Mrs. Corinthos sign the alibi papers earlier. So, if you could just sign them now, I'll be on my way."

"Oh," said Sonny. Phew. That was a close one. "Oh, sure, no problem. Let me just get Claudia." He walked to the door of the living room and called Milo inside.

"Yes, Mr. C?" he asked.

"Where's Claudia?"

"She went out to visit her brother," answered Milo.

Damn, thought Sonny. Why was Claudia always with Johnny when he needed her most?

"It's okay," said Lenny quickly, hiding his disappointment. He had really been looking forward to seeing Claudia again. "I'll just come back at a more convenient time." And with that, he left the house, alibi papers in hand, spirits a little down.

*

Adriana lay on her bed, staring into space. It was all so hard to comprehend. Her parents, dead…Claudia, giving her up for adoption when she was sixteen…Trevor Lansing, the awful father who never knew he even had a child…it was too much. She couldn't handle all of this right now. She didn't want to think about anything. She just wanted to lay here, stare into space, and let the world melt away.

A knock at her door prevented that dream from becoming a reality. Claudia made her way into the room without waiting for an answer, her arms laden with things from the kitchen. Adriana sat up, and when she saw her mother, she wanted to laugh.

Claudia had ransacked the kitchen, and brought up everything and anything that could be used to make ice cream Sundays. Ice cream, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, cookies…all of it was in her arms. Well, now, it was dumped on Adriana's bed.

"What's going on?" asked Adriana, looking at the boxes in amazement.

"We're making ice cream," said Claudia. It wasn't a question. Johnny wanted her to get to know her daughter; this was the best idea she could come up with.

"I'm allowed to eat in my room?" asked Adriana. At her house, she had been forbidden from bringing even one cookie up to her room from the kitchen, not since she spilled a strawberry smoothie all over her rug, attracting about one million ants from God knows where.

Claudia laughed. "Well, Sonny never said we were allowed to eat upstairs, but he never said we weren't, so, yes."

"Alright!" said Adriana, hopping off her bed and sitting on the floor. This was exactly what she needed—a distraction from everything. Ice cream was perfect for that

Claudia smiled at her energy and sat down on the floor next to her, pulling two bowls and a quart of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from the pile on the bed.

"So, what did you do today?" asked Adriana as Claudia started scooping heaps of ice cream into each bowl with a pink ice cream scoop. Adriana didn't want to talk about herself and how she was feeling; she wanted to be in a good mood, even if it was just for a couple hours. She'd go back to reality when she was ready.

"I visited my brother at his garage," said Claudia, now pouring chocolate sauce all over each mountain of ice cream. "I can't wait for you to meet him. He'll probably be the best uncle ever."

Adriana smiled. She had been wondering about the other members of her newfound family. "Anybody else that I'm related to that I don't know?"

Claudia sighed. The rest of Adriana's family wasn't as exciting as Johnny. Well, they were, but not in a positive way. "Well, there's your half-brother, Ric."

Adriana gasped. She had a brother? She had always wanted a sibling, but her parents said that they had only wanted one child. Now she understood the real reason why they hadn't had another baby. They technically hadn't even had a first child.

"Don't get overexcited," warned Claudia, before Adriana got too attached to the idea. "He's Trevor's son, about my age, and completely insane."

Adriana frowned. "How so?"

"Well, he chained a pregnant woman to a wall, for starters," said Claudia, taking the bag of chocolate chips and sprinkling them over the chocolate sauce.

Adriana couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He what?"

"Don't ask," said Claudia. "It's a really long story. Anyway, he's crazy, and you probably won't be meeting him anytime soon."

Adriana decided to move on with the conversation. She didn't want to know what other terrible things her brother may have done. "Anyone else?"

"Yeah, Ric's daughter, Molly. She would be your niece, I guess. Never met her, so I don't know much about her." She took a box of Oreo's and started breaking up the cookies, spreading the crumbs over the ice cream concoctions. "And, of course, there's your psycho grandfather."

Adriana had already heard about him, and didn't want to hear anymore. "So, I pretty much come from a family of crackpots." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, pretty much," laughed Claudia. "But don't worry; so do I." Now they both laughed. Adriana was enjoying herself. It was so nice not to think about her parents, dead in that alley, or the fact that they had lied to her for her entire life. She liked sitting here with Claudia, laughing, joking, and eating ice cream.

Claudia stood up and started searching through the pile of sweets on Adriana's bed, looking for her favorite part of the ice cream. When she couldn't find it, she'd figured she'd just forgotten it in the kitchen.

"You know what, I forgot the whipped cream," she said, heading to the door.

"Oh, that's okay," said Adriana. She didn't want Claudia making a special trip for something so unimportant. "I don't need it."

"Yeah, but I do," said Claudia. Adriana laughed as she walked out into the hallway.

Claudia started to make her way down the steps to the living room when she heard voices. She stood at the top of the stairs to listen.

"So, you did it?" she heard Jason's voice say.

"Yeah," said Sonny. "It was easy. The cops came over here, lookin' for an alibi, but Claudia gave them one, no questions asked. She didn't sign the papers, though, so the detective's gonna come back tomorrow, I think."

"I can't believe you pulled it off," said Jason, incredulous.

"Well, there was a minor setback," admitted Sonny. "His wife was there, too."

"His wife?" asked Jason. "So, what did you do?"

"What I had to do," answered Sonny. "I couldn't just kill Brown and let his wife tell the cops. I had to kill her, too."

Claudia almost fainted, right there on the stairs. Did Sonny say Brown? Had he killed Adriana's parents? She couldn't believe it. How could she have let that happen? How could she have given Sonny his alibi? How could she even invite Adriana to live under the same roof as her parents' murderer?

Getting to know her would have to wait. Now, it was about getting her out of this house.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

As Claudia lay awake in bed that night, listening to Sonny's snores, all she could think about was how terrible of a mother she was. Her own husband had murdered her daughter's parents, and she had invited her to live in the same house as him. Why hadn't she connected the dots sooner? She hadn't heard mention of any other murders last night. So of course Sonny was talking about the Browns when he asked for an alibi. The reason he didn't tell her more was simple: she didn't need to know more. He knew that she'd help him no matter what. She hated how she had been so eager to give him an alibi.

But wait. She hadn't actually given a legal statement of her alibi. What she had said to Detective Harrison didn't mean squat. She could still get out of it. But that would mean she had to run, and she didn't want to do that. She couldn't do that. She couldn't just leave Adriana here with Sonny, and she couldn't take her with her, either. Technically, Claudia wasn't her mother, and she was pretty sure that crossing state lines with her would be illegal.

Maybe they didn't have to cross state lines, though. They could hide out right here in Port Charles. They wouldn't stay with Johnny; it was too obvious a choice, and his new apartment barely fit him. Plus, Olivia was over all the time, and Claudia didn't think she could stand that. But they could stay at a hotel. Not the Metro-Court; Carly and Jax would have a conniption if Claudia invaded their space, not to mention that Carly would savor any opportunity to expose Claudia's whereabouts to Sonny. So, maybe the Cosmopolitan would be a good idea. It was across town, and the last place Sonny would look. They wouldn't have to stay there long; either the cops would catch him and put him away, he'd find a new alibi, or he'd leave Port Charles and never come back. Then, Claudia would file for divorce, and she and Adriana could move on with their lives. Sonny wouldn't hate a divorce. He had only married Claudia for business purposes, and now her father was in jail and Sonny controlled the entire Zacchara organization. He didn't need her anymore. It all fit perfectly. While Claudia would miss the power that came with being Sonny's wife, protecting Adriana was more important.

The plan would work. But first, they had to escape.

*

_It was the same nightmare as last night, except this time, the endless corridor was filled with bodies. Her parents' bodies. Every turn she took, they were there, lying in the same grotesque poses that they had been when she found them. She tried turning back around, to get away from them, but it didn't do anything. Everywhere she looked, they were lying on the ground, dead._

"Adriana!"

"No!" Adriana screamed, jolting into a sitting position. Standing next to her bed was Claudia, who looked frightened at the response she got when she spoke her daughter's name. Adriana shook her head, trying to get her bearings. The sheets and comforter on her bed were all tangled, and half the pillows were on the floor. She had never been a fitful sleeper. But then, she had never had nightmares, either.

"Are you okay?" asked Claudia nervously, stepping away from the bed a little. "Did I scare you?"

Adriana tried to catch her breath, which was coming out in ragged gasps, like she had just run a marathon. She tried to shake the image of her parents' corpses, but it was no use. It was like someone had tattooed their dead bodies into her brain. She would never lose that image.

"Are you okay?" Claudia asked again.

In actuality, Adriana couldn't be farther from okay. But Claudia wasn't asking in general. She was just wondering about this very moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, running a hand through her hair, and finding it damp with sweat. "Just a nightmare."

"You sure?" asked Claudia. She didn't look so good. Her face was pale as a ghost, and Claudia thought she was going to throw up.

Adriana nodded. Unlike her mother, she had never been a good liar, but she'd give it a shot anyway. "I'm fine. What's going on?" Claudia had to have woken her up for some reason.

What was Claudia supposed to say? "My husband murdered your parents" wasn't always a great conversation starter, but she couldn't just take Adriana and run without explaining herself. "Look, I know this'll sound really strange, but we have to get out of here."

Adriana frowned. "Why?"

"It's a really long story. I'll explain in the car." Adriana noticed the worry and anxiousness in Claudia's voice, and knew that something was really wrong. Any tiredness still with her shook itself off as she hopped out of her bed and ran to her closet for her suitcase.

"No," said Claudia, pulling her away. "There isn't time for that. Plus, if you bring it, the guards will hear us. Grab some shoes and let's go."

Even the guards couldn't know they were leaving? What was going on? Adriana ignored her own questions and slipped on her sneakers, then joined her mother at the door.

"Okay, we're gonna sneak out the back," said Claudia. "Sonny never puts guards back there."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he's just reckless," said Claudia hurriedly. "Try not to make any noise, okay?" And with that, the mother and daughter made their silent way out of the house.

*

"I can't believe it." Adriana had listened to her mother's story as they pulled out of Sonny's back driveway and onto the road. Thank God for hybrids, or else they would have been caught for sure.

"I know, neither can I," said Claudia, trying her best to go the speed limit, but her nerves were making it extremely hard. She just wanted to drive at breakneck speed to the nearest highway and go until Port Charles was a simple memory in the rearview mirror. But as much as Claudia wanted to get away from Sonny, she wanted to avoid getting caught by the cops even more, whether it was for speeding or taking Adriana over the state border.

"Your husband murdered my parents?" It was too much of a coincidence. How could Sonny have killed the Browns? He was Claudia's wife, and Claudia was Adriana's mother. It didn't get anymore complicated or ironic than that.

Not to mention the fact that Adriana had stayed in his house. Ate his food. Even looked him straight in the eye. This was all God playing a cruel trick on her. When would this nightmare end?

"I am so sorry," apologized Claudia. In some way, she felt responsible for this. Maybe if she had listened in on one more conversation, or interrogated for information about Sonny's business dealings more often, she could have stopped this whole rollercoaster from the start. Adriana would happily be on her way back to England right now if Claudia had just done something.

Adriana couldn't believe Claudia was apologizing. "You don't have to be sorry. None of this is your fault. You don't have any control over your husband."

Claudia shook her head. "But if I had just—"

"No," Adriana interrupted. "There was nothing you could have done. My main concern is why. Why did he kill my parents? They never mentioned anything about him. Did he even know them?"

"I don't know," said Claudia. "I didn't question him about it. I didn't want to give him any idea that we were leaving."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Adriana. She looked out the dark window of the car, and had absolutely no idea where they were going.

"The Cosmopolitan," said Claudia. "It's a hotel on the other side of town. Trust me—Sonny will never look for us there."

"And then what? We go to the cops tomorrow?"

If only she knew what Sonny was really capable of, thought Claudia. "That's not an option."

Adriana didn't get it. "What? Why?"

"Sonny is a mobster. If we rat him out, he'll know. Even an anonymous tip won't stay anonymous for long with him. Besides, we don't have any solid proof. It's all hearsay."

"Hearsay?"

"I only heard Sonny say that he murdered your parents," said Claudia, but she wished she hadn't said it so plainly. Adriana's tears started to well up at the words, but she brushed them away before any fell. "In a court of law, it wouldn't be legal evidence to submit. What if I heard wrong? What if Sonny was talking about someone else? Whatever we have to say won't mean anything."

"So, what? We just let him get away with killing innocent people?" Adriana couldn't believe that Claudia was suggesting that they let her parents' killer walk free.

"No, of course not," said Claudia. "They already suspect Sonny of murdering your parents. When I'm not there to provide an alibi, they'll arrest him. Whether he'll actually be convicted is another story. Diane Miller is a damn good lawyer. Sonny's gotten away with murder plenty of times before."

Adriana couldn't believe how calmly Claudia was explaining all this. But, then again, she had grown up in the mob. She was used to all this violence. "So we just hide out until it all blows over?" she asked.

"Don't worry," said Claudia. "The cops will catch him before he realizes we're gone. And then, we can just move on with our lives." Adriana didn't say anything, and Claudia decided that this was the time to ask the question that had been burning inside of her all day. "Have you made your decision yet?" She didn't need to explain which decision she was talking about.

Adriana had. She had made it the moment Claudia had told her where she came from, and why she had given her up. She knew in her heart where she was supposed to be. "Yes. I want to stay with you."

Claudia couldn't help but smile. "Really?"

Adriana smiled back. "Really." And, for the first time, Adriana found herself willing to accept a new mother.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

At first, when Sonny woke up, and Claudia wasn't next to him, he didn't think anything was wrong. Sometimes she liked to go out for a morning jog. Or she might have gone to visit her brother again. Or she could be with Adriana. They could have gone out for breakfast or to do some mother-daughter bonding. As long as she was home when Detective Harrison came back for his alibi, everything would be fine.

He wasn't worried at all as he made his way down the stairs to his living room and poured himself a cup of coffee. He wasn't worried at all, at least until Max knocked on the door.

"Uh, Mr. C?" He sounded nervous, Sonny noticed. He didn't like that. The business had been stable for so long, and Sonny didn't think he was ready for a mob war.

"What is it, Max?" he asked, walking over to his bodyguard with a cup of coffee.

"Is Mrs. C home?"

Sonny shook his head. "No, I don't think so. At least, I haven't seen her. Why? Is the detective back?"

Max looked down at his shoes, not sure if he wanted to explain the next part. His suspicions had been confirmed. Milo owed him ten bucks. "The Lexus is gone."

Sonny didn't get it. The Lexus was Claudia's car. If she had gone somewhere, she obviously would have taken that. "Yeah, so?"

"No one saw her leave the house, Mr. C."

Sonny still wasn't grasping what Max was telling him. "I'm not followin'."

"Look, the Lexus was in the garage when I changed my shift last night. I come back this morning, and it's gone. I asked where Mrs. C went, and no one saw her leave." Max didn't say any more, expecting Sonny to understand the rest, but Sonny couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying.

"Okay, Max, I'm gonna be very busy today, so just tell me what's goin' on—"

"I think Mrs. C snuck out last night."

Sonny couldn't believe what he was hearing. Claudia, sneak out? Why? She was a grown woman. She could come and go as she pleased. And even if she was going somewhere that Sonny wouldn't approve of, she was a good enough liar to just feed him a tale, like she was going to her brother's or something. The only reason she would sneak out would be that she didn't want Sonny to find her, ever, and he couldn't think of why she would do that. "Why do you think she snuck out?"

Max shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. But I'm pretty sure that's what happened."

Sonny didn't know what to say. The facts made sense, but there was no reason to support them. Why on Earth would Claudia sneak out, and take Adriana with her? What was she running from?

Wait, he couldn't worry about that right now. It didn't matter where Claudia was or why; Sonny needed her. She was his alibi. He'd only be able to stall that newbie cop for so long; eventually, Mac or someone else would take over for his incompetence. He would not go to jail. He needed to find her.

"Alright, thanks, Max," he said, and Max took his cue and left. Sonny pulled out his cell phone and dialed for Claudia, but got just what he expected—her voice mail. He hung up and called the only person who would be able to help him.

"Yeah?" Jason answered when he picked up the phone.

"Get Spinelli on his computer," ordered Sonny. "Claudia's missing."

Jason didn't understand. "Missing?"

"Long story short, her car's not in the garage, and no one saw her leave. Max thinks she snuck out last night with Adriana."

"Who's Adriana?"

"It's not important," said Sonny. "I need to find Claudia and get her back here. I don't have a lot of time before the cops come lookin' for me again."

Jason decided not to question it. Sonny had brought this on himself, but he wasn't going to point that out now. He had always been loyal, and he'd do whatever Sonny needed. "Alright, what should Spinelli be looking for?"

"Credit card purchases, security footage—anything that can tell me where she's been or where she is."

"I'll get Spinelli right on it." He was about to hang up, but Sonny stopped him.

"Jason, wait." Jason stayed on the line. "If I don't find her, and the cops catch me, there's gonna be hell to pay." He hung up, and Jason knew that he meant every word.

*

"Good morning, Commissioner Scorpio," said Lenny brightly, pouring himself a cup of coffee in the PCPD's squad room as Mac walked in. Mac, however, was not in as good of a mood.

"Hey, Harrison, has anyone named Claudia Corinthos or Adriana Brown come in here today?" It was already nine o'clock, and still no sign of the reunited mother and daughter.

Lenny smiled at Claudia's name. After his coffee, he would be on his way to Sonny's house to get the alibi. Hopefully, Claudia would be there this time, but getting a legal statement from her wasn't exactly what he was excited about.

"Harrison? Hello?" asked Mac. He noticed the dreamy smile that had come over his new detective's face, and didn't appreciate it one bit. How this kid had made detective, he had no idea. "Anyone home?"

Lenny realized that he had avoided the commissioner's question, and shook his head to rejoin reality. "Uh, no, sir. But, I'm going over to the Corinthos residence right now, so, if you need Mrs. Corinthos down here, I'll be sure to tell her."

Mac didn't understand. "Why are you going there? I thought you got the alibi last night."

"No," said Lenny, shaking his head. "Mrs. Corinthos wasn't there, so I said I'd come back at a more convenient time."

Mac just stared at him. There were so many things wrong with that one sentence. He didn't even know where to start. "Wait. Claudia is Sonny's alibi?"

"Yeah," said Lenny. "Why?"

"That's impossible!" shouted Mac. He couldn't believe Sonny was about to get away with murder again. He never should have assigned Lenny to this case. "Claudia was at her brother's that night! She showed up at the crime scene! She was the one that called 911!"

Lenny's face fell. "Oh," was all he could say. No one had told him that. Did that mean Sonny and his wife were lying? Claudia had lied to him? He couldn't believe it.

Mac still had more to say. "And what do you mean when you say you would 'come back at a more convenient time?' When a suspect doesn't have an alibi, you arrest him! What the hell were you thinking?"

What was Lenny supposed to say? That Claudia had clouded his better judgment? No excuse would fly now. He was in major trouble.

"Damn it, Harrison!" Mac flew out of the squad room and into the hustle of the main part of the station, where cops and detectives had stopped to listen to his yelling. Lenny followed him, feeling that an apology would be the best thing to say first, if he wanted to keep his badge.

"Look, Commissioner, I'm sorry!" Some of the cops started sniggering. They had been waiting for something like this to happen.

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it, Harrison!" shouted Mac, turning on him. "Corinthos is a criminal! A murderer! You can't take cases like this so lightly! I'm putting you on probation!"

"But—"

"Don't question me, Harrison!" He started to head for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Lenny.

"To arrest Corinthos myself!"

*

"What did you find?" asked Sonny into the phone. As much as he didn't like Spinelli, he couldn't deny that kid's skills on a computer. It hadn't even been an hour, and Jason was calling him with information.

"Well, Claudia's obviously never been on the run before. She paid for a hotel room at the Cosmopolitan with her credit card. Spinelli got the room number. It's 429."

"Alright, great," said Sonny, about to hang up, but Jason continued.

"Wait, Sonny. Spinelli found something else."

"What is it?" Sonny couldn't imagine what else he'd need to know.

Jason took a deep breath, preparing himself to disclose to Sonny some very complicated information. "You know the people you killed? The Browns?"

"Yeah…"

"You know how I said they had a kid?

"Just spit it out, Jason."

"Their kid was adopted."

"Yeah, so?"

"They adopted her from Claudia. She was Trevor Lansing and Claudia's baby."

Sonny couldn't believe what he was hearing. Adriana's adopted parents were the Browns? So he had been right when Claudia had said they were murdered. He had killed Adriana's parents. That's why Claudia must have left with Adriana; she must have heard his conversation with Jason last night. So, she'd left with Adriana so that she wouldn't have to give the alibi for the Browns murder. It all made sense now.

"Mr. C!" said Milo hurriedly, running into the living room.

"Gotta go," said Sonny to Jason. "Thanks." He hung up, then turned to Milo. "What?"

"One of the guards at the corner says the police are on their way."

"Damn," said Sonny. "Get my car ready for me. Not the limo—I'm drivin' myself."

"Got it," said Milo, and ran out of the room.

Sonny quickly put his cell phone in his pocket and prepared for Milo to return. He would get Claudia's alibi.

Even if he had to force it from her.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

"Hey, Adriana, come take a look at this," Claudia called from the living room of their suite. Adriana made her way out of her room, still the in the sweatpants that she had worn to bed the previous night, and walked over to the couch, where her mother was sitting, staring at the television.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Shh," said Claudia, pointing at the television. "Listen."

Adriana faced the television, where the local news was showing a female reporter standing outside a house that she recognized. "Is that Sonny's house?"

"Shh," Claudia said again.

"An APB has been put out for Mr. Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos, Jr., the lead suspect in the murder of Thomas and Cassandra Brown, who were found dead two nights ago." Adriana felt a pang of sadness jolt through her body. No matter how many times people told her that her parents were dead, the pain that she felt for them didn't grow any number. In fact, the more times it was stated, the more it hurt to think about. Adriana tried to shake the thoughts from her mind to listen to the news.

"When authorities arrived at Mr. Corinthos's home this morning to arrest him, they discovered him not there and are under the assumption that he had run to escape prosecution. We'll now cut to a press conference where Police Commissioner Malcolm Scorpio is providing more information about the case."

The scene cut quickly to Mac, who was standing at a podium, other members of his force behind him, and microphones surrounding him.

"The Port Charles Police Department is doing everything in its power to find Mr. Corinthos and bring him to justice. While we have no leads on his whereabouts, we are confident that he won't stay hidden for long."

After this statement, the news flashed back to the reporter standing outside Sonny's house. "We would also like to report that Mr. Corinthos's wife, Claudia Corinthos, and her daughter, Adriana Brown, who was the adopted daughter of Thomas and Cassandra Brown, the couple murdered two nights ago, are also missing. Police are not yet sure if this disappearance is related to that of Mr. Corinthos's. Back to you, Steve."

Claudia picked up the remote and clicked off the television, not particularly interested in the day's weather. Adriana, however, was almost jumping out of her skin with nerves.

"Wait, they think we're missing? Shouldn't we call the police or something, tell them we're alright?"

Claudia shook her head. "Not yet. Let's wait another day. Either they'll catch Sonny, or he'll be in another country. We don't need him knowing we've been in contact with the police."

"But what if they waste time and energy looking for us, when we're fine? It's Sonny they should be trying to find, not us."

Why was she so smart? As much as Claudia hated to admit when she was wrong, this was a serious situation. Maybe calling the police would be the best idea. "Okay, you're right," she admitted, a little sullenly. "I'll call." But before she could even take out her phone to dial, it started ringing.

Claudia looked at the screen, but didn't recognize the number. It was the Port Charles area code, so she answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Claudia Corinthos?" asked a man's voice that she had never heard before.

"Uh, yeah," she answered nervously. Was she in trouble for taking Adriana? She hoped not; she didn't think she could deal with hiding from Sonny and the cops at the same time.

"I'm calling from General Hospital," said the voice.

Claudia's worry was gone, now replaced with confusion. "Okay. What can I help you with?"

"Your brother, John, was just in a car accident." Claudia's stomach dropped to the floor. Johnny? Her baby brother? How could this have happened, now of all times? It was because he was always driving so damn fast. He never went the speed limit, ever. He could have hit a guard rail and gone off an overpass. He could have been talking on the phone with Olivia, not paying attention to the road, and hit another vehicle. He could have hit a patch of ice, and spun out of control into God knows what. And if they were calling her about it, it had to be serious. He could be injured, or permanently paralyzed.

He could be dying.

"I'll be right there," Claudia said hurriedly into the phone hanging up.

Adriana saw the worry on her mother's face, and immediately expected the worst. "What's wrong?"

"My brother was just in a car accident," said Claudia, grabbing her purse from the coffee table.

It wasn't the answer that Adriana was expecting, but it was just as bad. "That's awful! Are you going to the hospital?"

"Yeah," said Claudia. "I don't know when I'll be back, so just sit tight here, okay?"

Adriana frowned. "Can't I come with you?"

Claudia shook her head. "No, it's easier if I go alone. I don't know how long I'll be there, and I don't want you to have to sit in a hospital waiting room for an entire day."

"Oh," said Adriana. She was a little scared to be staying here by herself, with Sonny still on the loose, but the circumstances were out of her control.

"Here," said Claudia giving her phone to Adriana. "Put your number in, and I'll put mine in yours. Call me if you need me, okay?"

"Sure," said Adriana, handing her phone to Claudia. They each put their numbers in, then switched back.

"If you get hungry, just order room service, okay?" said Claudia on her way out the door.

"Okay," said Adriana, but Claudia didn't hear her response as she practically sprinted to her car.

*

"So, did you do it?" Sonny asked his soldier as he came back into the warehouse, Sonny's temporary hiding spot. It was perfect; he hadn't actually used this warehouse in years. The police would never look for him here.

"Yes, sir," answered the soldier. Sonny smiled. Everything was falling into place. Or, that's the way that Sonny saw it. The soldier wasn't as confident.

"Sir?" he asked, knowing full well where his questioning could get him. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Sonny blinked. No one had ever questioned him to his face, except Jason, and maybe Max or Milo. And Bernie. And Carly. But his soldiers? They kept their opinions to themselves and each other. Maybe this was a bad idea, if someone was finally speaking up about it. But it was his only option. "Look, do I like it? No," he said. "I hate it. If I was Claudia, and someone did this to me, they'd be dead, no doubt about it. But it's the only option I have. The police have me in a corner, so I gotta do something."

"But, is Mrs. Corinthos really your only alibi? What about Mr. Morgan? Why does it have to be your wife?"

Sonny had asked himself the same question, and always came to the same conclusion. "I've been lying to cops for as long as I can remember. Sometimes they buy it. Sometimes they don't. But I've learned that you have a better chance of convincing someone of a lie if you stick to the same story. If I start switching things up, like sayin' I was with Jason instead of Claudia, they'll know I was lying, and I won't get away with it. But," he said, realizing something, "I don't think an alibi is gonna work anymore. This is more of an escape plan."

"But to go to such measures as to—"

"Nothing else will work!" shouted Sonny, and his soldier cringed. Sonny took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Look, I already killed her parents. Nothing that I do could be worse than that."

The soldier nodded. "I guess your right. I'm sorry for questioning you."

Sonny ignored his apology. "Who are we sending?"

"Ritchie Mancuso, sir."

"Perfect," said Sonny. He checked his watch. "Tell him to get going. We don't gotta lotta time."

*

Claudia ran as fast as two-inch heels would allow into the hospital, almost plowing down sick patients with canes and wheelchairs. She ran to the desk, where Epiphany was going through some files.

"How can I help you, Mrs. Corinthos?" she asked without even looking up.

"What room is my brother in?" asked Claudia impatiently.

Epiphany didn't understand. "I'm sorry?"

"My brother," explained Claudia. She didn't have time for this. Johnny could be seriously hurt, or worse. "He was in a car accident. The hospital called me. What room is he in?"

Epiphany laughed, a short, quick grunt. "I think I would remember if John Zacchara was in my hospital."

Claudia didn't get it. For starters, what was so funny about a car accident, especially one that seemed so serious? And what did she mean when she said she would remember if Johnny was here? The man on the phone had said he was at General Hospital.

"Look, I don't have time for whatever joke you're telling!" yelled Claudia. "My brother is here and I need to see him! Where is he?"

"Mrs. Corinthos, I will check my records, but I can promise you that Mr. Zacchara has not stepped foot into this hospital since it's been remodeled. So, when I prove to you that I'm right, kindly leave my hospital. I have real patients to worry about."

Claudia folded her arms over her chest as Epiphany logged into the hospital's records, to see if Johnny had come in that day. As usual, she was right.

"See?" she said, turning to computer on its stand so that Claudia could look with her own eyes. "Your brother was not in a car accident, and he did not come here today."

Claudia was totally lost. The man on the phone had said that Johnny was in an accident, and that she needed to come to General Hospital. Maybe she had heard wrong? Maybe Johnny was at Mercy? But she didn't have time to go to every single hospital in the area.

"Hello?" he asked when Claudia stepped over to a corner to call her brother. He sounded perfectly healthy, if not a little annoyed. She assumed Olivia was over, and she had just interrupted something very important.

"Johnny," she said, and relief swept over her. He wasn't in an accident; he sounded fine. "Johnny, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," he said, confused. "Why?"

"Someone just called me and told me you were in a car crash."

"That's ridiculous," said Johnny with a chuckle. "I've been with Olivia all morning.

Claudia felt herself almost throw up in her mouth. "Okay, too much information. But, you weren't in an accident?"

"No," said Johnny. "Who did you hear that from?"

"I don't know, someone just called and—" Claudia stopped, realizing something. The phone almost dropped out of her hand.

"Claudia? Hello?" Johnny's voice was saying, but Claudia didn't hear him. She couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out before.

"I gotta go," she said into the phone quickly. She snapped her phone closed, then ran out of the hospital even faster than she had run in.

Because this time, her daughter's life depended on it.

*

Claudia hadn't even been gone half an hour when the knock at the door came. Adriana had been flipping channels ever since she left, hoping that her uncle would be okay. She hadn't even met him, but she felt bad for Claudia. She had so much going on right now. This was the last thing that she needed.

The knock at the door broke her out of her reverie. She hadn't been expecting anyone; she hadn't ordered room service, and the maid had already come. Maybe Claudia was back already, and had just forgotten the key. Adriana stood up and headed for the door. When she opened it, no one was there. She stepped out into the hallway a little and looked both ways, like she was about to cross a street, but still didn't see anyone. As she was about to head back inside, assuming that whoever it was had just gotten the wrong room, she felt a hand cover her mouth. Before she could even scream, everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

When Adriana finally came around, it took her a couple seconds to realize where she was and what had happened. She felt foggy, like she had hit her head on concrete or something. The last memories that she had were all mashed together, like a movie playing on fast-forward. It almost hurt to think, let alone sort everything out. She felt if she opened her eyes, her head would hurt even more. But she had to. She had to know what was going on.

Her eyes opened to an unfamiliar place. Bright fluorescent lights caused her to squint as she looked around. The only thing she really saw were crates, lots and lots of wooden crates. Many of them were stacked on shelves, but some were just on the floor. The walls were a dull-colored cement, as was the ground. The room would have been completely normal to her, if her parents' killer wasn't standing in it.

Sonny was pacing across an area of the floor that wasn't occupied by boxes. In one hand, he held a small gun, which twitched nervously as he walked, back and forth, back and forth, like he was waiting for something. Or someone.

Just seeing him made Adriana forget about her throbbing head and focus all of her energy towards her anger. So killing her parents hadn't been enough? Was he going to kill her, too? She looked at the gun in his hand. Was that the same gun that had killed her mother and father? Would she meet the exact same fate as them?

Adriana pushed herself up to a sitting position, gasping at the pain in her head. As she finally steadied herself, leaning against a wall, Sonny faced her, surprised to see her awake.

"What happened?" she asked weakly, her sweaty palms pressed to her forehead, trying to get the throbbing to stop. "Where am I?"

"It's not important," said Sonny, glancing around nervously, listening for any sound from the front of the warehouse. "You're the means to an end, that's all."

Adriana felt like screaming, but couldn't find the energy to do so. She felt the room spinning around her as the need to be sick grew bigger and bigger.

"Why did you kill my parents?" she managed to get out. She had to know. She needed closure.

Sonny sighed. He should have known she'd start asking questions. But it was complicated. She wouldn't understand. "That's not important either."

"To you it's not!" said Adriana, finally looking up. "If you can't give me a reason, you obviously didn't have one!"

"It was to save my own ass!" Sonny shouted back. "It's called survival of the fittest! It was them or me, and I chose myself!"

Adriana wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and yell and throw a tantrum like a five-year-old. But she couldn't. All she could do was be angry, because she wasn't the one with a gun in her hand.

"You're an evil man," she half-whispered, all her rage evident in that one sentence. "Why my mother married you—I'll never know."

Sonny laughed. Was she being serious right now? "First of all, your mother and I married as part of a business arrangement. We can barely stand each other. And secondly, if you knew half of the things that Claudia's done, you wouldn't be sitting here defending her."

Adriana didn't know what Sonny was talking about, and didn't care. She was scared for her life. She wanted to know what she was doing here, and if she'd ever see the light of day again.

When Adriana didn't say anything back, Sonny resumed his pacing. Claudia would call any minute now, and this whole thing would be over, one way or another.

*

"Adriana!" Claudia yelled, bursting through the door of their hotel room. What she saw only made her more worried. The television was still on, but no one was sitting in front of it. Claudia made her way into each bedroom. Nothing. The bathroom was empty as well. Adriana wasn't there, and Claudia knew that she had been right.

Sonny was an evil bastard. He was always acting so high and mighty about never involving women or children in his business, and then he turns around and pulls a stunt like this. He was going to pay.

But wait. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Just because Adriana wasn't in the hotel room didn't mean she was in danger. She could be down at the pool, or the arcade, or anywhere, really. Maybe she had just forgotten to leave a note. But that still didn't explain the phone call about Johnny's "accident"…

Claudia took her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Adriana's number. As the phone was ringing, all she could think was, please be safe, please be safe, please be safe…

*

Neither Adriana nor Sonny had said anything since their last conversation, and the back room of the warehouse had been completely silent, except for the consistent pattern of Sonny's footsteps as he paced and Adriana's scared and almost hyperventilated breathing as she thought of all the possible things that Sonny could want with her, and all the possible outcomes of the situation. Most of them didn't turn out so well for her. As her imagination started getting the best of her, she heard her cell phone ring.

Adriana immediately felt around her in her sweatshirt pocket for her phone. She knew it was hers because she was the only person she knew who had the song "Yellow" by Coldplay as her ringtone, and she seriously doubted that that was Sonny's favorite song as well. But when she couldn't find it in her pocket, she looked up to see Sonny holding a phone that looked very familiar.

"Whattayou know?" he said, looking at the screen. "It's Claudia." Adriana watched nervously as he flipped it open and said, "Hello?"

Claudia's heart froze mid-beat when she heard Sonny answer the phone. Even though she knew she had been right the moment she'd had her realization at the hospital, she still had had that small glimmer of hope that Adriana was safe.

"Where is she?" Claudia asked, saying a silent prayer as she did so.

"Who, Adriana?" asked Sonny, glancing in her direction. Adriana glared back. "She's right here."

"Is she—" Claudia could barely get the words out as tears started welling up in her eyes. "Is she hurt? 'Cause I swear to God, Sonny, if you hurt her—"

"Calm down," said Sonny. "She's fine. A little upset, but fine."

Claudia breathed a silent sigh of relief. She wasn't hurt. That was all that mattered. "What do you want, Sonny?"

"My alibi," said Sonny simply.

"Look, Sonny, I can't do that," said Claudia nervously. The alibi wouldn't work anymore. What would he do if he didn't get it? Claudia didn't want to think about it. "I was at the crime scene when the Browns were murdered. We could get away with it with that one cop, but now the entire PCPD is after you." She braced herself for his response.

Alright, Sonny thought. Time for Plan B. "Fine, if you can't do that, you can do something else."

Relief swept over Claudia again. At least she had options. "What?"

"The police have frozen my assets. Show up at Warehouse 42 on Pier 9. I want five million dollars in cash so I can escape." Adriana couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sonny was going to get away? He wasn't going to pay for killing her parents? He'd just get his money and start a new life somewhere else?

Claudia considered. Adriana was worth more than five million dollars. She'd pay her last dime to get her back unscathed. But at the same time, she'd be letting Sonny get away with the worst thing that had ever happened in Adriana's life. Not to mention that if the police found out, she'd be charged for aiding and abetting a criminal. She'd go to jail, and she'd never see Adriana again. There had to be something else.

"And if I don't?" Claudia almost didn't want to hear the answer to this question.

"If you don't?" Sonny repeated, glancing at Adriana again. "Well, when the cops come, I'll use Adriana as my human shield to escape." Adriana felt her heartbeat quicken. A human shield? While she had faith that the police would be able to catch him, she didn't want to die in the process. She didn't know which was worse: letting Sonny get away with her parents' murder, or dying to make sure that he didn't.

Claudia couldn't let that happen. She'd never forgive herself if Adriana was shot, or even killed. The money would be her only option.

"Fine," she said. "When do you want it?"

"As soon as possible," said Sonny. He was about to hang up, but Claudia stopped him.

"Sonny, wait!" He stayed on the line. "Can I—can I talk to her? Please?"

Sonny thought about it. It wouldn't do any harm. It wasn't like Adriana was in a position to concoct an escape plan for herself. She didn't even know where she was. Besides, he could take the phone away if he thought the conversation was becoming to suspicious.

"She wants to talk to you," he said, holding the phone to her.

Adriana took it. "Hello?"

"Hey," said Claudia with a relieved sigh. She sounded fine. A little shaky, but fine. "I am so sorry for what's going on."

"It's not your fault," said Adriana. "But—but can you do something for me?"

Claudia was taken aback. She had assumed that saving Adriana's life went without saying. "Sure, what is it?"

"Don't give him the money!" Adriana begged, tears pouring down her face. "Don't just let him get away!"

"Adriana—" Claudia started to say, but then she heard the click of the call ending. "Adriana? Adriana!" But she knew it was no use. The line was dead.

Claudia didn't know what to do. She couldn't put Adriana in the line of fire by letting Sonny use her as a human shield. But Adriana didn't want her to give Sonny the five million dollars. She understood; Adriana didn't want the man who had killed her parents to go free.

But Claudia couldn't risk her daughter's life for her happiness. She shouldn't even be risking her daughter's life at all. None of this was supposed to happen. She had given Adriana up so that nothing like this would happen to her. And now, she could die because of her mother's stupidity.

So, Adriana didn't want Claudia to give the money, but Claudia didn't want to make her target practice for a trigger-happy squad from the PCPD. There was only one option left.

Claudia would need Johnny for this one.

*

"Johnny, open up the door, now!" Claudia yelled as she banged on the door of his apartment. She knew he was here; he had answered her call from the hospital barely an hour ago. He was probably just busy with Olivia. Well, this was more important.

"Johnny, I know you're in there!" She couldn't believe he was taking this long. Every second that she wasted was another second closer to Adriana becoming Sonny's escape hatch. "If you don't open this door right now, I'll kick it down myself! And don't think I'm not being serious!"

Finally, Johnny appeared at the door, with only his jeans on. His jet black hair was all over the place, and he looked extremely pissed that his sister had decided to come at this particular time of the day. Well, Claudia thought, he'd get over it.

"What, Claudia?" he asked as she pushed by him into his puny apartment. She wasn't surprised to see a very pissed off, half-naked Olivia on the couch, with two half-full glasses of red wine on the coffee table.

"Jeez, Johnny, it's not even noon," said Claudia in her way of acknowledging Olivia's presence. "I guess Bensonhurst just isn't on the same time as the rest of the East Coast."

"Like time has ever stopped you before," said Johnny, not even cracking a smile.

"Yeah, and at least Johnny doesn't barge into your house unannounced," Olivia added from the couch, covering herself with a blanket.

"Okay, no one asked for your input, Olivia," Claudia sneered, then turned back to Johnny. "Look, you're gonna have to bang your whore some other time, 'cause this is an emergency."

"It's always an emergency with you, Claudia," muttered Olivia. Claudia ignored her.

"It's about Adriana," Claudia said to her brother, whose eyes widened in recognition.

"Who?" asked Olivia.

"Look, Olivia," said Johnny, walking over to her, "this is kind of a family thing. Could you give us a couple minutes?"

"Uh, sure," she said, glancing at Claudia. "I'll, uh…I'll go change, 'kay?" She and Johnny leaned in for a kiss, while Claudia gagged on the side.

As Claudia continued to look away, not needing to see what was going on between the two of them, she stared at her watch, timing the kiss. When it got to thirty seconds, she turned back around.

"Uh, today would be nice, don'tcha think?" she said. Olivia glared at her, but made her way to Johnny's bedroom anyway.

"Okay, Claudia, this better be good—"

"Oh, calm down. You can get your cougar lovin' some other time. But, that's not what I'm here about."

"You said it was something with Adriana," said Johnny, walking over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Well, if you had bothered to stop doing that hoe for five seconds and turn on the news, you would have seen that Sonny killed Adriana's parents."

Johnny's jaw dropped. "Sonny?"

"Yes, Johnny, my husband murdered my daughter's parents. Ironic, isn't it?" Johnny didn't answer, so she went on. "I found out last night. So, I took Adriana to the Cosmopolitan so we could hide out until this all went away. Well, Sonny's on the run as well, and the cops are after him. He had no means of escape since the police froze his assets, so he kidnapped Adriana and wants me to pay him five million dollars so he can escape."

"So, you'll pay it, right?" said Johnny hopefully. He didn't know if he was ready for another one of Claudia's half-baked schemes.

"Well, Adriana doesn't want me to pay it, because she doesn't want her parents' killer to go free."

"So, what're you gonna do?" asked Johnny, now nervous. Here it comes.

"Well, if I don't pay it, Sonny will use Adriana as a human shield so that he can escape the police. So I was thinking—"

"Oh God—"

"Come on, Johnny!" Claudia begged. "I don't want Sonny to walk away from this like he didn't do anything! We need to stop him, but we need to rescue Adriana as well."

"No, Claudia! This could go horribly, horribly wrong! A rescue attempt could put Adriana in even more danger! Not to mention that Sonny runs the Zacchara organization now. Everybody is loyal to him. What, were you planning on doing this by yourself?"

"Not everybody liked the shift of power, John," said Claudia. "There are still some Zacchara soldiers out there who are dying for a chance to get Sonny out of the way. All we have to do is ask them."

Johnny sighed. He almost hated how much sense Claudia was making to him, because that either meant that her idea was really good, or that it was really bad and that she was just a very convincing person.

"Please, Johnny?" asked Claudia. Why was he being so hesitant about this? "This is my daughter we're talking about. This is your niece we're talking about. I don't want her to die, but I don't want her to live her life knowing that her parents' killer is out there."

Finally, Johnny came to his decision. "Fine. I'll do it for my niece."


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

"Claudia, are you sure you wanna do this?" Johnny asked for the millionth time.

"Yes, John, I'm sure I wanna do this," Claudia answered, exasperated. She, her brother, and four Zacchara soldiers stood outside of Warehouse 42, preparing for the ambush. Weapons were loaded, strategy was set. Now all they had to do was go.

"Okay, let's go over the plan one more time," said Johnny, a little nervous. Even though he had tried to make sure that Claudia's idea was full-proof, he still couldn't help doubting it. They had thrown this whole thing together in only a few hours. There were so many possible things that could go wrong.

"Johnny, we know the plan," said Claudia. Why was he being so hesitant about this? Adriana's life was on the line. There wasn't time for going over anything. "It's not rocket science. You guys go in and make a distraction, and then I go to the back room, take care of Sonny, get Adriana, and then we leave. Easy enough."

Johnny took a deep breath. It wasn't easy. It was half-assed. They had no idea how many soldiers Sonny had of his own in there. They didn't know how prepared Sonny was for an attack. They didn't really know anything.

Claudia noticed Johnny's nervousness, and was not going to put up with it. "You know what, Johnny, if you don't want to do this, fine. I'll do it myself. But you better choose fast, 'cause we're goin' in soon."

Now she was just being difficult. "I'll do it, Claudia," said Johnny. "I don't like it, but I'll do it."

*

It had been hours since Claudia's phone call, and Adriana was really starting to get nervous now. As much as she wanted Claudia not to give Sonny the five million dollars so that he couldn't get away, she was kind of hoping that Claudia would come and try to work something out, at least try and save her somehow. But as the seconds ticked by, Adriana's hope grew smaller, and she was almost to the point where she didn't think Claudia would come at all.

Sonny was still pacing, back and fort, back and forth, preparing for Claudia to walk through the door. She had to give him the money. Even though she had questionable morals, Sonny didn't think she'd leave her daughter here to die.

Adriana stared at Sonny, thinking. If Claudia wasn't going to come, she'd get out of here herself. Just one problem: Sonny had a gun and she didn't.

But what if Sonny didn't have his gun anymore? If she could just get it away from him, she'd have a little more of an upper hand. He was still bigger than her, but she was probably faster.

The only thing was, how did she get the gun away from Sonny? He was on red alert. She'd need some kind of distraction, but wasn't expecting one to come any time soon. The room was silent, as was the front of the warehouse. If only something could come to distract him, she could get the gun out of his hands and run, either for the door that led to the front of the warehouse, or another door in the back of the room, which Adriana assumed led outside. But she still needed a distraction. It was only a couple seconds after her thoughts that one came.

The sound of gunshots rang in her ears. Sonny whipped around towards the door, completely thrown off guard. He hadn't been expecting this.

Adriana seized her opportunity. It all happened so fast. She jumped up from the sitting position she had been in for so long and ran towards Sonny as fast as she could, jumping on to his back and wrapping her arms around his neck. Sonny jumped from shock and tried to pry her off, dropping his gun in the process. Adriana smiled. It was working. Confidence and adrenaline flooded through her as she jumped down, preparing to run for the door. But Sonny was a step ahead of her. The second Adriana was off his back, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his pocketknife, and stabbed her with all his might right in the stomach. Adriana put her hands to her abdomen, the pain freezing her, and crumpled to the ground.

*

"Claudia, go! Now!" Johnny shouted. He and his sister were taking cover behind a few wooden crates, while their soldiers continued to fight against the guards that Sonny had patrolling the front room of the warehouse.

"Now?" Claudia yelled back as a shower of bullets flew over their heads. She was hoping to get an opportunity when there was a smaller chance of getting shot.

"Yes, now!" said Johnny, hopping up from the ground, firing a couple shots, and then crouching back down. "We'll hold them off. Get Adriana so we can go!"

Claudia nodded and then made her move. She emerged from her hiding place and made her way to the door, dodging stray bullets as she did so. Luckily, no one was concerned with her; they were all too busy saving their own asses.

She pushed the door open, and what she saw paralyzed her momentarily, the gunshots in the background becoming insignificant. Adriana, lying on the floor covered in her own blood, with Sonny nowhere to be found. Claudia wasn't thinking about Sonny, though, when she ran to kneel down next to her daughter, grabbing her hand. She looked at her stomach to see something that strongly resembled a knife wound staring back at her. She felt her eyes grow hot with tears. This was all her fault. If she hadn't been so cocky and assumed that everything would just work itself out, Adriana wouldn't be in this mess. She still couldn't believe that Sonny had taken her. And now, she finds out that he stabbed her, too. Guilt flowed like blood through her veins. She couldn't help but take full responsibility for all this. This was what she got for being selfish.

Adriana felt delirious with pain when she saw her mother kneel down next to her. On one hand, her stomach was on fire, and she could feel the blood seeping out. But at the same time, she felt happy. Seeing her mother again made her feel safe, and any fear she had was long gone. She felt her mouth open and say words that she didn't think she was controlling.

"Hey, you," she heard herself say, and then she felt her mouth curve into a smile.

Claudia couldn't help but smile through her tears with her daughter at their little inside joke. She was going to be okay. She had to be, if she was making jokes like that.

"Did you get him?" Adriana asked weakly. Her vision was starting to become blurry, but words were still coming out of her mouth. "Did you get Sonny?"

Claudia looked all around her. Where was Sonny? As she looked around, she noticed the door at the back of the room. It was wide open, revealing the alley behind the warehouse. It had all been for nothing. Sonny had escaped. He had hurt innocent people, and he had gotten away with it. Once again, justice wasn't served in Port Charles.

"I am so sorry," Claudia said, tears really flowing now. What she was sorry for, she didn't quite know. She was sorry for a lot of things. She was sorry for being stupid and having Adriana in the first place. She was sorry for giving her up. She was sorry for putting her in this kind of danger. For not getting Sonny. For letting her daughter get stabbed. But most of all, she was sorry for being such a horrible mother.

Suddenly, sirens started to sound outside. The police, Claudia thought. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing right now. It would be a good thing as long as there was an ambulance with them.

"Don't be sorry," said Adriana, her voice becoming weaker and weaker as she slowly started to lose consciousness. She then mumbled something that Claudia didn't hear.

"What did you say?" she asked.

Adriana smiled one last time before losing consciousness completely. "You found me."


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

If Claudia had to pick the one thing in the world that she was the worst at, it would be waiting. And the longer she waited, the worse it got. She'd sit down, stand up, pace, sit back down—it was a cycle that continued for almost two days. The only thing that changed was the location. First it was the PCPD, then the hospital waiting room, then Adriana's room….But no matter where the waiting took place, the cycle remained the same.

The waiting started right after the rescue attempt, when Claudia, Johnny, and the Zacchara ambush party were hauled down to the PCPD, while Adriana was sent to the hospital. Claudia couldn't stand being down at the station while Adriana fought for her life. Luckily, Diane worked her lawyer magic, and they were released in no time. Well, to everybody else it felt like no time; to Claudia, it felt like forever.

After leaving the station, Claudia drove with Johnny to hospital, where she got the latest on Adriana's condition. She had lost a lot of blood from the stab wound, and was in the middle of a blood transfusion. This was when Claudia had become really nervous, and was glad that Johnny was there to support her through everything. Thankfully, everything went fine, and the last leg of waiting began.

It was about nine in the morning. Claudia sat waiting at Adriana's bedside, a place that she had been glued to for almost twelve hours, taking a break only to stop by Kelly's and pick up a muffin, and then to say a quick prayer in the hospital chapel. Like that would help anything. It wasn't like she checked in with God very often. He probably had more faithful people to attend to.

She didn't know why she was so worried. The doctors said that everything would be fine, that Adriana would wake up soon. But she still couldn't help thinking that something had gone wrong. She knew she should be having positive thoughts, but it was so hard. How could you look at your daughter, who is unconscious, in a hospital bed, with fifteen million wires connected to her, and nurses coming in every hour or so to check her "vitals" (whatever that meant), and not be scared out of your mind? Maybe that maternal instinct that she heard so much about was a real thing. Maybe she was really becoming a mom, worrying herself sick over something that would turn out okay. Isn't that what moms did? No matter how much they were reassured, they were always worried about something?

Mom. Claudia could not see herself having that title. No one would look at her and think, "Hey, I bet that lady's a mom." She had even denied the fact herself for the past sixteen years. She didn't deserve Adriana. She didn't deserve that title. She hadn't done anything to earn either one.

"Mum," she heard someone whisper, and she jumped. Had she been alone so long that she had started talking to herself? But then she had to remind herself that there was someone else in the room, and that she didn't have a British accent.

Claudia felt like she could dance with joy. Adriana was awake! Everything was going to be okay!

Adriana opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was Claudia, looking at her anxiously. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," said Claudia. She didn't know where she was? That couldn't be a good sign. Or maybe she was just over-worrying again. "You had a blood transfusion."

It was all slowly starting to come back now. Being in that warehouse with Sonny. Waiting for Claudia to come. Getting stabbed in the stomach. "Am I gonna be okay?"

Claudia smiled. "If you're my daughter, you'll be just fine. I survived a stab wound, and it wasn't even in a hospital."

Adriana frowned confusedly. "What're you talking about?"

"Remember that prince I was telling you about?" asked Claudia, and Adriana nodded. "Well, I got stabbed in the stomach and was then thrown in the harbor by this total psycho, Jerry Jacks—"

"What the bloody hell is wrong with this town?" asked Adriana.

Claudia laughed. "Please. Port Charles is mob central. Getting stabbed by psychos occurs on a daily basis. Anyway, I washed up on Spoon Island, where Prince Nikolas found me and nursed me back to health."

"Talk about a knight in shining armor," said Adriana with a laugh.

"Well, Nikolas can't take all the credit," said Claudia. "He had his nurse friend come out and patch me up."

"That's quite a story," said Adriana.

"Well, there's plenty more where that came from," said Claudia. There was a couple seconds of an awkward silence, when Claudia remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot: since the food here isn't fit for a dog, I picked up a muffin from Kelly's for you." She reached over to the side table and picked up the bag, looking inside. "I think it's still okay. Do you like blueberry?"

Adriana hesitated. Should she tell her, or should she just accept it and not hurt her feelings? It would be better in the long run to tell her. "I'm allergic to blueberries."

Claudia could have punched a wall, but she settled instead for slamming the bag with the muffin back down on the side table and putting her elbows on her knees and head in her hands. "I don't even know you a week, and I've already almost killed you twice. That's gotta be a record."

Now Adriana felt bad. She shouldn't have said anything. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," groaned Claudia, looking at her daughter. "It is my fault. I should know what you're allergic to. I should know a lot of things, like your favorite food, what kind of music you like. I should know if you're good at math or if you're claustrophobic—"

"Ophidiophobic," Adriana corrected.

Claudia just stared at her. "What?"

"Ophidiophobic," Adriana repeated. "I have a fear of snakes."

"How on earth do you know that word?" asked Claudia. She didn't even know that word, and she was twice Adriana's age.

"I read," said Adriana simply.

Now Claudia understood. "Yeah, reading's not my thing." A smile crept upon her face. "Snakes? Seriously? Could you not have picked something more random to be afraid of?"

Adriana scowled. "It is a legitimate fear," she argued. "Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes."

Claudia started laughing. "Indiana Jones? Is that the only person you could come up with? He's not even real!"

"Hey, _Raiders of the Lost Ark _is my favorite movie!"

"See, I'm more of a _Fatal Attraction _kind of person."

Adriana's jaw dropped in shock. "How can you watch that movie? I mean, to this day, I will not buy a rabbit for fear of some crazy lady coming and boiling it!"

Claudia laughed again. "So I guess we can cross scary movies off of our list of bonding ideas." She suddenly thought of something. "That is, if you still want to stay with me," she added, not very hopeful.

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Adriana, frowning.

"Uh, incase you haven't noticed, you're lying in a hospital bed because of me," Claudia scoffed.

"Look, it's not—"

"Yes, it is," Claudia interrupted. "If I had just paid the money, Sonny would have gone free and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. But instead, I tried a rescue attempt and not only did Sonny escape, you got stabbed. So, it is my fault."

"But that's my point," explained Adriana. "If you had paid the five million dollars, I probably wouldn't want to stay with you. But you tried to save me, and bring Sonny down. You didn't mean for him to escape. Things happen. People make mistakes."

"Yeah, and I've made my fair share of mistakes," Claudia said, more to herself than to Adriana. She then looked her daughter straight in the eye. "How can you be so forgiving? You could have died because of me."

"You're all I have left," said Adriana. "You're my mother, for God's sake. My parents would be awfully ashamed if I never forgave you."

Claudia smiled. "Your parents were great. I never would have found anyone better than them."

Adriana nodded. "I know. Which is why I want to thank you." Claudia looked at her, confused. "My parents, biological or not, were the best parents that anyone could ever ask for. I couldn't imagine being the person I am today without them. I want to thank you for giving me that opportunity. I know that you feel guilty about giving me up, but in the end, I think it was meant to be."

Claudia couldn't believe how much insight was packed into a girl that had just lost the only parents she had ever known, and, all of a sudden, received new ones. She couldn't believe that that same girl was her daughter. Her flesh and blood. It didn't matter that Trevor was the father. Adriana was all hers, and she was never going to waste that opportunity again.

Adriana was hers. That's when it all clicked. That maternal bond that most women felt right after their child was born. Claudia's was sixteen years late, but she felt it now. She suddenly knew what it meant for there to be someone in the world that mattered more than she did, someone that she would give her own life for. She thought about the last thing that Adriana had said in that warehouse. "You found me." But that wasn't true. Adriana had found Claudia. She had found Claudia's potential to be a better person, to not always think about herself. She had found the person that Claudia didn't think existed.

"Can we start over?" Claudia heard herself ask. "Without Sonny, without Trevor. Just you and me. Do you think we can do that?"

Adriana smiled. "If it's you and me, I think we can do just about anything."


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

"Where're we going?" Adriana asked, staring out the passenger side window of the car. Today had been a good day and a bad day. It was good in that Claudia was her legal parent again. It was bad in that it was the final event that proved that her adoptive parents were really gone.

Adriana hadn't expected it to all happen so fast. She had only been out of the hospital a month when the papers were signed and legal, thanks to Diane's expert skills as an attorney. The world had kept on moving, leaving last month's events behind.

It was a beautiful spring day, the nicest day yet since Adriana had been in Port Charles. It wasn't hot enough to go swimming, but not cold enough for snow, either. It was pleasant, with almost no humidity and a bright, shining sun. The only thing bothering her was this surprise that Claudia kept talking about. All she knew was that it wasn't necessarily a good surprise, but an appropriate one. Claudia was like a steel vault; Adriana couldn't get anything else out of her.

"You'll see soon enough," said Claudia as she turned left onto another street. It was almost time for something that she wasn't sure she wanted to witness, and she half-regretted even doing it. But she had to do it. It was only the first item on her very long list of things that she owed Adriana.

Neither of them said anything else as the drive progressed. Adriana was still trying to figure out what the surprise was. Claudia was worrying about the outcome. Both were still absorbed in their own thoughts as Claudia made the final turn, parking in a deserted parking lot.

Adriana shook herself from her thoughts when she felt the car park. She looked around her, not having any idea where she was. She hadn't been as eager to explore Port Charles as she was when she had first arrived. But her questions were finally answered when she noticed a small sign in front of an open wrought-iron gate.

PORT CHARLES CEMETERY

"What're we doing here?" she asked. Now she was really confused. She hadn't been expecting anything like this.

"Come on, follow me," was all Claudia said to answer her question. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door, but Adriana was still lost in her confusion.

"You coming?" Claudia asked her, concerned. Maybe she shouldn't have done this. But, it was too late now.

Adriana returned herself to reality. "Yeah, I'm coming." She unbuckled her own seatbelt and joined her mother outside the car. The both of them walked through the gate, and Adriana saw what she expected: hundreds upon hundreds of headstones, some garnished with flowers or American flags, and a few with piles of freshly dug earth still in front of them. Adriana stared for a second, her thoughts floating back to that night in the alley. Her parents hadn't received a proper burial. None of their loved ones would place flowers on their graves. They would never get the respect that the dead deserved.

The click-clack of Claudia's boots on the pavement broke Adriana out of her reverie. She followed her mother as she made her way past the gravesites. Adriana glanced at some of the names and dates, but didn't take any of it in. Finally, Claudia stopped at a headstone that seemed to be placed there recently. The stone was shining and devoid of dirt and dust, and there were two mounds of dirt in front of it. Adriana read the names, and burst out crying.

Everything that had happened in the past month had finally exploded out of her. Between finding out she was adopted, learning about Claudia and Trevor, and the incident with Sonny, Adriana hadn't actually had time to mourn for her parents. She was too busy trying to find herself to accept their loss. But now the words kept repeating themselves in her brain: my parents are dead, my parents are dead, my parents are dead…

How had she been so selfish? She had been so concerned with where she was going to end up and where she had come from to give her parents the grievance they deserved. Their entire lives had been about her, and she was too wrapped up in herself to notice.

Claudia didn't know what to do. Should she comfort her daughter while she cried over the only parents she had ever known, or she leave her in peace, let her have some time with them?

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked, not knowing how else to handle the situation.

Adriana nodded and said, "Yes. I'm sorry, but I just need to be alone right now."

"I understand," said Claudia, almost starting to cry herself. She gave Adriana a quick and soft rub on the shoulder, then made her way back to the car, leaving Adriana alone.

Adriana felt like she should say something to her parents, even if they couldn't hear her. She had so many things she needed to get off her chest: sadness, guilt, confusion, but, most of all, anger. Anger at her parents. Anger at Sonny. Anger at herself.

"I'm so sorry," she said to the headstone through her sobs. "Everything is my fault. If I hadn't fallen asleep, maybe…maybe…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, so she moved on. "But I can't do anything about it now, and that's what's killing me: that I can't go back in time and change everything." Her face became red as she poured her heart and soul out to two piles of dir. "Why didn't you tell me? Better yet, why did you lie to me? I spent my whole life as someone I'm not! I had a right to know who I was, but you kept it from me!" She wiped some of the hot tears from her eyes. She didn't know what else to say. She had so much more to tell them, but her feelings couldn't be translated into words right now, in her current state of mind. She didn't even give a final "I love you" or "I miss you" as she made her way back to the car.

Claudia watched Adriana's entire meltdown as she leaned against the hood of the car, and wasn't sure at all what to do as her daughter started coming back. In the end, she decided not to say anything. She didn't need to say anything. It was as if the feelings and emotions of the entire ordeal were hanging in the air for anyone to breath in and understand. Of course, Claudia had lost both her parents, one to insanity and one to a broken heart, so she had somewhat of an idea of how Adriana was feeling. But she still wasn't going to say a word as they both climbed back into the car. The next few months would be tough, for both of them. Adriana would be grieving, and Claudia would be struggling with how to deal with it. It was going to be a long road, but they'd travel it together.

_The End…for now_


End file.
